Gundam Wing: Type 3
by Chemiclord
Summary: Some unanswered questions simply create MORE questions.  It is advised you read Type 2 first.
1. Episode 13: Changes in the System

****

Episode 13: Changes in the System

With the fall of Eden, Earth refocuses its efforts to better itself. With the help of the Edenite Tenant Aelan Marcus, Earth experiences a period of unprecedented advancement. The world is rapidly changing, and it appears to be for the better.

Then from an era long thought forgotten, comes a nightmare that could destroy all that had been built…

"So, are you aware of your duties and obligations by joining this elite unit?" Aelan asked, "At any time you could be called into action, and much of the time your acts will receive very little recognition. Are you willing to accept this?"

Aelan was sitting behind his desk, located in the central office of the North Am Advisor Offices. At the moment, he was interviewing a potential addition to his North Am Special Forces.

The interviewee seemed a little too enthusiastic for his liking, but he realized that this was just the way she was at times, especially when it involved Duo. Looking over at Admiral Noin, she merely shrugged in response, most likely questioning his sound judgement.

"YES SIR!" Hilde chirped, "I accept!"

With a chuckle, Aelan stood up, and after Hilde followed suit, and shook her hand. "Then, if there is nothing else you wish to add, welcome to the team."

Duo, on crutches, and his right leg in a thick, restrictive black brace, was able to cheer and clap nonetheless. "All right, Hilde! It's gonna rock with you around."

Aelan's smile slowly turned into a frown as he contemplated all the various mischief that the pair would most definitely get into. All of a sudden, his generous idea was looking like less of a good move.

"I'll have someone show you around so that you can become more accustomed to the place. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do to upgrade your Virgo."

"Thank you!" Hilde squealed happily. 

Suddenly, Hilde's face drew curious, and she commented, "This is something that's been bothering me for a while. You supposedly came to Earth twenty years ago…"

"Yes, that is correct." Aelan replied.

"Then just how old are you?"

There was a brief silence, then Duo added, "Yeah, now that the issue comes up, how the hell old are you, really?"

Noin sheepishly agreed. "I'm sort of curious myself."

Aelan smirked, then nodded, "I should have figured that this question would come up at some point in time. It's amazing that no one had asked in the last month or so since most people realized I wasn't from Earth."

He looked up to the ceiling, and it looked like he was mentally doing some calculations, "Let's see… I am approximately 42 of your Earth years."

Another silence ensued, and Hilde finally broke it, "You're that OLD?" She then turned beet red, worried that she had just insulted her new superior.

However, he didn't appear to have been offended, "Actually, in Edenite terms, I'm quite young." He then looked up again, calculating, "The average Edenite lives to be about 160 of your Earth years. Through extensive genetic manipulation we have managed to drastically increase the life span of my people."

"I see." Duo said, "Anyway, Hilde, now that you have totally embarrassed yourself, maybe I should show you around."

As Aelan sat down again, the pair left his office, and Noin jibed, "Gee, here I am friends with some old fogey."

Aelan refused to be baited, and replied, "When I was your age, people knew how to respect their elders."

Noin obviously found the idea rather amusing. When she finally stopped chuckling, she then grew almost grave. "I am concerned with you bringing in Hilde."

"Why?"

"It seems awfully pointless to bring in another pilot to fill the role of a man who's going to be back in the mix in less than two weeks."

Aelan propped his head on his hands, and answered, "I'm not bringing her to replace Duo. I'm going to need her to fill Heero's position, at least as well as she can."

"Heero?" Noin asked, "What's wrong with Heero?"

"I asked him to resign his position last week."

"WHY?" All of a sudden, Noin was very concerned with Aelan's actions. First Hilde, now she learns that he's kicking out one of the finest suit pilots ever.

"It has nothing to do with his performance, if that's what you are worried about. From my experience on Earth, I have discovered that the ratio of a long-term relationship succeeding as opposed to failing is incredibly high."

Aelan then looked directly at Noin, and replied, "He has something very special now. I am not going to allow him to risk losing it because he has obligations in North Am."

In an instant, Noin went from concern to admiration, "You don't want him to ruin his relationship with Relena." She smiled, and replied, "That is so sweet."

Aelan shook his head. "I remember feeling the way Heero did once. If I had been closer when I had needed to be…" Aelan seemed to drop off, immersed in his own thoughts, thoughts that Noin knew were very painful. It was at times like these that she almost forgot that Aelan wasn't human.

"Aelan…?" Noin asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I know it's silly of me." He replied, "I did what I had to do at the time, just as I am doing now."

Noin shook her head, "Emotions aren't always logical." Suddenly, her own emotional wounds flared open. Her own love… and she had killed him, "Oh, Miliardo…"

Suddenly, there was a knock on Aelan's door, and both people in the office quickly reigned in their sorrowful memories. A rather scruffy looking delivery person entered, and almost rudely shoved a clipboard in Aelan's face.

"Sign here." The deliverer snapped.

Aelan took the clipboard, and his eyes scanned the item listing, "What is all this for?" Reluctantly, he signed the sheet attached, and handed it back to the delivery person.

"Hey, all I knows is that we were told to move all this stuff into one of the empty offices on this floor. Where do you want it, anyway?"

All of a sudden, they heard from outside Relena making orders, "Over this way, in there… Good. Perfect."

Aelan and Noin looked at each other, and asked each other, "What is Relena doing here?"

Outside in the reception area, Relena was busy guiding the delivery crew into the recently vacated office, and pointing out just where everything was to be placed. Aelan and Noin were eventually joined by several of the Gundam pilots, and they watched silently as the crew finished moving in all the various articles, and quickly made their way back out of the office complex. 

Finally, Aelan spoke what was on the minds of everyone assembled. "Relena, what is going on here?"

Relena replied by placing an oak name sign right on the door to the office. In carved, white bold letters, the sign clearly stated,

_Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft_

"Do you like it?" Relena asked innocently, "I was hoping that it matched the signs that were in this office complex. Fortunately, it appears I was pretty close."

Aelan looked down at his feet for nothing more than a second, then asked, "Can I talk to you…"

"In my office?" Relena giggled. "Sure, come on in."

He stepped into Relena's new office, and closed the door. He brushed up against her light stand, knocking the lamp slightly. As if worried, Relena quickly rushed to the lamp, and carefully adjusted it with an unexplained precision.

"I'm sorry, but I like everything just where it is." Relena flushed slightly. 

Aelan got straight to the point, "What in the heavens are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm moving my office to North Am. I've already received the okay from the Congressional Body. When I heard that you wanted Heero to leave, I decided to solve the problem myself."

"Did Heero put you up to this?" Aelan said gruffly.

"No. I did this totally on my own. He didn't even suggest this."

Aelan sighed, "I'm trying to get him AWAY from soldering."

Relena started to laugh softly, then answered, "I tried to do that once. I thought that if I could get Heero away from fighting, that he would finally be a complete person. However, I soon realized that I would be killing the person I was trying to save."

Aelan was slightly confused, which didn't happen often, "Explain."

"Heero IS a soldier. It's part of who he is. To try and take that away would be like removing a lung. He could live with it, but he wouldn't be the same person. I know you mean well, Aelan, but you are wrong in this case."

Aelan nodded slightly, then concluded, "I suppose that it is a decision between you and Heero. If you find him fighting under me is acceptable, then I suppose I can live with keeping him onboard."

"Thank you, Aelan." Relena replied. "I certainly hope that this will work out."

"As do I."

Night fell on New Richmond, and Aelan was getting ready to retire for the night. Noin had always mocked him about his lack of a social life, and it was nights like these that reminded him that in many ways, she was right.

As he was about to leave, he noticed Relena rummaging through the vending machines that resided in the side offices, and was interested why the foreign minister was still here.

"I was under the impression that you left with everyone else." Aelan remarked.

Relena jumped slightly, then turned in his direction. "I had… but there were some things that I felt guilty about leaving until tomorrow. How about you?"

Relena took a seat at one of the small tables that had been set out for munching, and motioned for Aelan to join her. "I'm usually here this late. Between sleeping and work, I don't do much."

Relena smiled, and replied, "Sounds like you need a hobby."

As Aelan sat down, he continued, "I am wondering what you have to so that is so important that you decided not to wait until morning."

"Oh just some quibble between South Am and Southeast Asia over the discovery of some previously unexplored Antarctic caves. The sooner I reach a decision, the better off everyone else is." Relena admitted.

Aelan didn't reply, and looked down at Relena's acquisitions. She had a ham sandwich, a cup of yogurt, and a chocolate bar. This wasn't what struck Aelan as curious. It was she did with the items.

Relena opened the top of the sandwich, poured the yogurt on, topped the yogurt with the chocolate, then placed the top on the sandwich once again. Aelan watched curiously as she took one bite after another.

"I'm sorry." Relena said, her mouth half full, "Would you like some?"

"That's… quite all right." Aelan answered, merely content to watch Relena's abnormal actions…

__

Next Time…

The discovery in the Antarctic unveils a startling surprise. Meanwhile, Aelan's re-election campaign begins, and talk of a higher position begins to pervade the announcement. Meanwhile, Heero and Relena have an announcement of their own, and Aelan gets a surprise visitor.

Coming in Episode 14: Until Death do us Part


	2. Episode 14: Until Death do us Part

****

Episode 14: Until Death do us Part

With the fall of Eden, Earth refocuses its efforts to better itself. With the help of the Edenite Tenant Aelan Marcus, Earth experiences a period of unprecedented advancement. The world is rapidly changing, and it appears to be for the better.

Then from an era long thought forgotten, comes a nightmare that could destroy all that had been built…

__

Antarctica…

"All right… sensor drops in place." One of the survey team announced, "Let 'er rip!"

"Confirmed, beginning sensor sweeps." Another team member stated. There was a soft hum from the sensor unit as is scanned through the sheet of ice below, and to the cavern that held so much controversy.

When it was finished, the entire seven-man survey team huddled around the readouts, hoping to get some sort of idea as to how much was down there. The foreman of the team then pointed to the monitor on the sensor unit. "There it is, definitely Duriam, and a very large amount of it, too."

"That does explain a lot." Another member quipped. Now that the secret to forging Durium was discovered, there was a high demand for the supermetal, and simply not the resources to supply it. Most assuredly that this was the reason that South Am and Southeast Asia were almost ready to go to war over these caverns. This amount of Durium would be able to fund 10 nations.

"Do you think that we'd be able to get a closer look?" One of the team suggested. "All the Durium seems to be rather concentrated in one area of the cavern. Doesn't anyone else find this curious?"

Several others had to admit their curiosity as well. "All right… let's risk it. Increase the resolution 300%." The foreman finally conceded. Such a heavy sonar barrage could cause the entire cavern to collapse, but the chances were still small.

However, luck was (or more appropriately wasn't) on their side. The sonar barrage did indeed start the cavern ceiling to collapse. The foreman quickly tried to rush his team out of the cavern, but watched helplessly as one of his team fell through the ice, and into the cavern below.

Remington Geoffrey had heard once that 'It wasn't the fall that ever hurt anyone, it was the sudden stop at the end.' With much chagrin, he realized that the saying was quite accurate. He slowly stood to make sure that nothing was broken. Other than some expected soreness and a few bruises, he was unharmed. Satisfied, and somewhat amazed, that he was at least all in one piece, he started to scan his new surroundings.

The first thing he did was look up. Thirty-five feet never seemed like much when displayed on a computer screen. In real life, it was quite an intimidating height indeed. From his vantage point, he could barely see the other members of his survey team looking over the edge.

"You all right, young man?" The foreman asked in concern.

"Considering that I just took a 35 foot fall, I'd say I'm quite well." Remington answered.

"Good. We'll get something down here to pull you up, just hang tight."

"Sure thing, boss." The young surveyor replied, then got to looking around the cavern proper. At the south end, where the sensors had detected the Durium was an object that caused Remington to exclaim, "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"

The foreman quickly asked, "What is it? What do you see?"

Remington walked south, eventually disappearing from the view of the rest of the survey team. The foreman then patched into Remington's comm signal, demanding, "What is down there, Remington?"

The young man looked over the object repeatedly. While definitely in a state of prolonged neglect, its shape and design was unmistakable, the engines on what must have been the rear of the vessel, along with the black glass substance in the front were a dead giveaway.

"It's… a space vessel, sir. A large one." Remington gasped, unable to take his eyes off the hulking monstrosity.

"Did you hit your head, Remington?" The foreman asked, "This cavern has been sealed for God knows how long. Who could have possibly have built a spaceship?"

Remington looked over the hull of the craft, noticing the strange symbols along the starboard side of the craft. "I not sure, sir, but I never said it was made on Earth. I'm going to check inside."

It appeared that the foreman was about to object, but then relented, "All right, kid, but keep your eyes open. I don't want that thing collapsing on you. It could be very unstable, especially having half the ceiling falling on it."

"Understood." Remington acknowledged, then stepped through a large breach on the starboard side. Fortunately, he remembered to carry a spotlight with him, for the ship's interior was very dark.

He strode through the darkened halls with trepidation, glancing in every direction and every intersection. Eventually, he found his way to what had been the bridge. Glancing at the panels, he noticed that one of them was still lighted.

"Sir, you aren't going to believe this… but this ship still has power."

"WHAT? Do you realize how long this thing must have been buried under all this ice?" The foreman challenged.

"I know, sir… but it is." Underneath the monitor was a small red button. Cautiously, he pushed it down. There was the sound of groaning metal, then suddenly a wall panel to his left pulled away. In utter disbelief, Remington moaned, "There… is NO way…"

"What? What is it, Remington?"

Remington approached the long stasis tube, bathed in a gentle blue light. Looking over the tube, and noticing the various lights dancing about the tube, he commented, "I know where the power on this ship is going, sir."

"Where?"

"It's powering a stasis tube of some sort. There's something still alive down here."

There was silence on the other end, the foreman obviously stunned to silence. Meanwhile, Remington looked over the large, well built form inside. The man's features were stunningly humanoid, but as he looked at the person's face, he noticed that his eyelids were open slightly, the pupils looked like pinpoints surrounded by deep crimson irises.

At that moment it all clicked. The Durium… the vessel… the symbols… all he had heard… there was only one explanation. The ship was from Eden, and the man in stasis was an Edenite…

__

North Am, Estate of the Advisor, New Richmond…

Aelan looked around pleasantly at the gathered guests that had stayed after his announcement for re-election. Noin leaned over his shoulder, and asked, "You look surprised."

The North Am advisor shook his head, and said, "I'm amazed by the support I've received. I had figured once news of my… not so Terran origins… were made public that I'd rapidly lose my clout. Humanity had a tendency to be rather xenophobic in my estimation."

Noin laughed softly, and replied, "People are more convinced by actions rather than by ancestry. You've been around long enough for most people to realize you aren't a threat."

"How many people would think that if they knew why I came here in the first place?" Aelan queried

Noin nodded, and replied, "Not many… but I won't let that be held against you. That'll be our little secret." She added with a wry smile, then suddenly slapped herself, "Oh, by the way, I want you to meet one of your supporters." As Aelan turned, Noin introduced her to a petite woman with flowing brown hair, "Aelan this is Une, one of the Preventers that I was a part of."

Aelan nodded, "Yes, Lady Une. I had heard of you, but I don't think we were ever properly introduced."

"Probably because I was too busy trying to figure out how you were able to court Lucrezia and several of the Gundam pilots into your service. All Quatre ever does is praise your accomplishments every time I see him."

Aelan laughed, and replied, "Why do I highly doubt that?"

Noin stepped away, and replied, "I think I'll leave you two be. I think someone is calling me."

Noin watch the pair as they eventually sat down at a small table in the corner of the reception area. Their candid conversation lead to Une leaning forward and looking into Aelan's eyes, most likely drawn by their unusual color.

"Aelan would never let me get away with that…" Noin snorted, "Don't you even get too close, Une. He's not avail… what the hell am I doing?" Noin almost couldn't believe herself seething. "Why am I getting all angry about this?"

She decided she needed to stop glaring over at Une and Aelan before someone got the wrong idea. Noin quickly began to mingle with the rest of crowd, but would occasionally catch herself glaring back to make sure nothing was going on. Even her attitude was disturbing her.

Fortunately, her attention was distracted when Relena stood up. With an amused glare, she pulled Heero up as well. Noin laughed as she noticed that Heero was blushing. It was rare that Heero was embarrased, and Noin smirked when she realized that she had left her camera at home.

Relena then smiled, and Noin could swear that she was almost floating on air. "I know that this reception is for Aelan, but if you don't mind, Advisor, Heero and I have some news of our own."

When Aelan gave full permission, Relena nearly sang out, "Heero and I have decided to get married! I'm sorry, it may sound silly of me, but I just had to share this happy day with everyone."

As hard as Heero was trying to contain himself, the red flush to his cheeks was a dead giveaway. He was just as excited as Relena was, he was simply trying to pretend he wasn't. Noin knew that she had to find a recording of this, all of it was simply too classic. In all the excitement, Noin had finally managed to forget about Aelan and Une, but not for long…

For such a large crowd, they had been quite tidy. Usually Aelan had noticed that there was an exponential relation to the amount of trash and the number of people involved.

As he picked up the final piece of litter, he heard Noin's voice. "Don't you have a cleaning crew that takes care of that?"

Aelan looked up at the young admiral, then replied, "I didn't want to waste their time with such a small mess."

Noin nodded, then licked her lips nervously. Finally, she said sheepishly, "That's good. I wanted to talk to you alone, anyway…"

"What about?"

Noin bit her lip gently, then stated, "I saw you and Une, and started to feel… jealous. I was upset that you two were able to hit it off so easily. It made me wonder if I was letting something special to me just slip away."

Soon, Noin was mere inches away from Aelan's face, and as she leaned forward, the Edenite quickly put his hand in between the pair. "Lucrezia, I can't do this. You know I can't."

Somewhat saddened, yet understanding, Noin pulled away. "You have a dedication that I should have myself."

Aelan then cupped her chin, and replied, "I may not be able to be what you want me to be, but let me assure you that I know the pain you are feeling. It is tough, and I will always be here when you need a shoulder to cry on."

"Thank you, Aelan." Noin replied, "You are right. Perhaps I'm still hurting from Miliardo's death. I apologize."

"You'll never stop hurting, Noin." Aelan replied, "But you will learn to become stronger. If you ever forget this pain, THAT is when you should be concerned."

Aelan closed the door to the bedroom, and stared down at the knob. That had been a very tense moment, and he had been surprised by his own initial response. He really hadn't wanted to push her away.

"Who in the hell do you think you are?" A voice rasped.

Aelan instantly recognized the voice, even though he had only heard it a couple of times. "Lucrezia really thinks you're dead this time." Aelan answered, turning around

Miliardo Peacecraft shrugged, and retorted, "That is probably for the best." Then he demanded again, "One more time. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"How dare you reject Noin like that? Just because your some damn Edenite makes you too good for a human? I can tell you care, so what is stopping you?" Miliardo glared at Aelan, almost murderously.

"I would think that you'd be happy that I'm keeping my distance." Aelan retorted.

"The only thing that would make me happy is to see Noin happy. Now answer my question."

Aelan sighed, and replied, "It has nothing to do with Lucrezia, Mr. Peacecraft. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't."

When it became apparent that Miliardo was not going to accept that answer, he added, "Perhaps I should explain. They made me grow my hair out before I left Eden so that people wouldn't see this." With that, he pulled up his hairline, revealing a bright red circular mark on his right temple. "The Tenant Council was worried that it would stand out."

Miliardo looked closer, and asked, "What is it?"

"It is the equivalent to a human wedding ring." Aelan answered, "The Edenites believed in forever unions, and this mark is a symbol of that permanent ideal."

"Where is your wife?" 

"Dead." Aelan answered, "And I killed her."

Miliardo was silent, and Aelan took that as an opportunity to explain. "When I had been promoted to Tenant, I decided to visit my wife. At the time, she was working in the cybernetic field with a man named Ventrali Gorrs."

"Ventrali Gorrs." Miliardo hissed, "Any relation to a certain Kiron Gorrs?"

"Brothers." Aelan replied, but began to sense he was drifting from the topic, "Anyway, Ventrali had been working on a way to utilize cybernetic systems to bring people who were dead back to life. I attended the first attempt to revive someone under the Eternal Project. With it, Edenites were to become immortal."

"Reawakening Frankenstein's monster." Miliardo mused, "That entire Gorrs family seems to be all the same. Kiron ranting about being a god, Ventrali's desire to attain immortality, someone should have killed the brats as they had been born."

Aelan ignored Miliardo's comments. Once again, they were drifting from the topic at hand. "The project was a failure. For reasons that no one knows to this day, the cyborg went berserk."

Aelan then dropped his head, remembering this was always difficult. "In its rampage, my wife tried to stop it, and she was stuck in the main research bay as the cyborg destroyed the main support pilliar to the entire section. From there, it started to make its way outside the facility. Once outside, there would have been no way to stop it."

"I was able to reach the terminal that controlled the cyborg's life-support systems. Then I noticed the supports to the research bay starting to give. A small beam fell on my wife, trapping her inside. There, I was stuck with a choice. I didn't have the time to pull my wife out of the wreckage, and disable the cyborg before it escaped the facility."

"Using my Tenant access, I disabled the cyborg, and turned just in time to see the entire bay collapse. They found her body three hours later."

"You made the choice that saved billions of lives, yet sacrificed the one you loved." Miliardo summerized, "And yet, even though your wife is dead, you still are devoted to her totally."

Aelan nodded, "As I said, Edenite marriages are forever. However, my devotion is no longer total, although I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing…"

__

Back in Antarctica…

Remington woke up from his deep slumber to the sound of the foreman of the survey team shouting. As Remington emerged from his tent, the foreman quickly rushed up to him.

"We have a problem, kid." He gasped urgently.

"What's up, sir?"

The foreman took a deep breath, and replied, "Remember that Edenite you found? Well, he's gone. All that is left was an empty stasis tube."

__

Next Time…

Relena goes shopping, and rumors of an even deeper reason for Relena's actions stem as Noin, Duo, and Aelan compare notes. But what begins as an innocent shopping spree quickly turns to terror, as Aelan is attacked by a strange being with the appearance of an Edenite, and Relena gets caught in the middle.

Coming in Episode 15: Wounds of the Heart


	3. Episode 15: Wounds of the Heart

****

Episode 15: Wounds of the Heart

With the fall of Eden, Earth refocuses its efforts to better itself. With the help of the Edenite Tenant Aelan Marcus, Earth experiences a period of unprecedented advancement. The world is rapidly changing, and it appears to be for the better.

Then from an era long thought forgotten, comes a nightmare that could destroy all that had been built…

"Is he everything you expected?" A female voice asked.

"Indeed. With our new friend in our allegiance, our dreams will be fulfilled." A male voice answered. "And I can finally be at peace."

__

North Am, Offices of the Advisor

It was a beautiful day in New Richmond, the winter snow recently pulling away, and the delights of spring starting to bloom. Even though he knew it was impossible, Aelan could almost swear that the sun was shining a little brighter. It was a paradise that rivaled Eden's.

And Aelan was stuck inside behind his desk. 

It almost always seemed that way. No matter how he planned the few days off he took, it always seemed to rain when he was free and beautiful when he was trapped behind his desk. He knew that his mind was merely falling victim to a mere psychological trick, but that didn't help much.

Noin stepped inside of Aelan's office rather unannounced. Aelan looked at her sternly, not appreciating the intrusion, but let her transgression slide. There was a lot on the young admiral's mind as of late. Noin took a deep breath, and recited, "I apologize for my actions last night. I was totally out of line, and put you in a very embarrassing position."

Aelan shook his head, and answered, "There is no need." For a brief moment, he thought about telling her that Miliardo was alive, but realized that the elder Peacecraft would show himself when he thought the time was right. "I understand how you feel, and I will be here to support you in any way I can."

Finally Noin smiled, and said, "Thank you."

At that moment, Relena poked her head around the door, and then flushed. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Aelan and Noin quickly shook their heads in denial. Aelan then motioned her inside, and said, "Of course not. What matter of business brings you to my office?"

Relena rolled back on her heels, and said, "I'm doing a little wardrobe shopping, and was wondering if you two would like to go along. Heero is at some basketball game again, and I don't want to go alone."

Aelan then motioned to Noin, and said, "I'm sure Lucrezia can join you. I however, am forced to conclude my duties here before I can rest."

Noin chuckled, and said, "Aelan, you need a break once in a while just like the rest of us. As much as you do in an hour, you could afford to take the rest of the day off."

Aelan looked behind him at the outside world. It was quite inviting, and he WAS quite well ahead. Nothing an extra thirty minutes at the end of the day couldn't resolve. "Very well, you have convinced me to shirk my duties and join you in this endeavor."

As the three left the office, Duo and Hilde approached them, and Duo tsked, "What do we have here?"

Hilde's eyes narrowed, and she jovially accused, "Looks like three people running off to play hooky to me."

"Now this simply won't do." Duo finished, "It just isn't fair that they get to run off, and leave us here all alone in this stuffy old office complex. Now, if they were to take us along…"

Relena laughed at the pair's antics. "We get the message, you two. If you want to join us, of course you are invited."

__

New Richmond Shopping District

Aelan thanked himself for letting himself be convinced to take this break from his obligations. He sat at a large bench in the center courtyard of the shopping district, allowing all of nature's beauty to surround him while he sipped sodas with Duo and Noin. Hilde was with Relena in the stores, helping Relena pick out clothes. Surprisingly, no one noticed the three, even some of the press teams that were present, either that, or they simply weren't concerned. Although, many showed some passing interest in Relena's shopping spree.

Duo took a rather obnoxious pull on his straw, making a loud slurping noise as the sweetened liquid ran totally out of the glass. He glanced over to one of the shops, where Relena was burdening poor Hilde with about 10 different dresses among several other outfits and accessories.

"Geez." Duo commented, "It's like Relena is getting a whole new wardrobe. Why does she need that many clothes?"

Noin pursed her lips slightly, then said, "I don't know. It seems about that time, don't you think, Aelan?"

"Perhaps, but we also aren't sure just when this began." Aelan somewhat agreed.

Duo's eyes narrowed, and he queried, "What are you two talking about?"

Noin chuckled; knowing how much fun this was going to be. "Duo, surely you have noticed Relena's odd quirks as of late."

"So, she's been somewhat of a neat freak as of late. She usually is."

"That's not all that I mean." Noin smiled, "Doesn't it strike you as odd how Relena and Heero, who were supposedly content with keeping their relationship out of the public eye, suddenly announce their engagement?"

"Yeah…" He seemed to want Noin to continue.

Aelan then added, "A few nights ago, I caught Relena eating a sandwich, yogurt, and chocolate. That's not strange, but the fact that she was eating them all at once struck me as peculiar."

Duo took the face of a man who had just received the shock of his young life. "No way…" Duo nearly groaned, then jumped to his feet saying, "That's not the way Heero is! I don't even think he KNOWS how to use his… YOU KNOW!"

At that moment, Relena and Hilde approached the group, both of them carrying several bags of clothes, and all three looked at the young foreign minister expectantly.

Somewhat embarrassed, she grinned, then apologized, "I'm sorry I took so long, but I had to get myself sized again. My old size just doesn't fit anymore."

Aelan looked at Duo, who just seemed to stare forward blankly. Aelan didn't think anything was amiss at first, but once Duo started to turn red, he slapped the Gundam pilot on his back.

Duo gasped, taking in a few deep breaths, while Aelan commented, "I am afraid that it is not in the best interests of your health to cease respiration."

Hilde raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and asked, "What's wrong with you now, Duo?"

Before the Deathscythe pilot could respond however, a sudden cacophony of screams from the north entrance of the Shopping District. As the group rushed to the scene, the scene came to them. An unknown person emerged into the courtyard, and stopped at the edge of the path. His eyes seemed to scan the crowd, then looked straight at Aelan.

Aelan stared right back, orange eyes meeting crimson. "My God… that man's an Edenite." Aelan gasped. With frightening speed, the Edenite attacked Aelan, even before the rest of friends could even comprehend what was going on. The Edenite grabbed Aelan firmly by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

"TAKE ME TO EDEN!" He demanded.

Duo jumped in defense of his friend, but the large Edenite seemed to merely shrug off the attack, literally. With a quick movement of his shoulders, he sent Duo flying to the side 5 feet away. Hilde rushed to Duo, while Noin and Relena stood in place, for the moment.

Meanwhile, the hulking Edenite continued to demand out of Aelan, "I want to go to Eden. You will take me there."

"Why? Who are you?" Aelan asked breathlessly.

"That is not important!" The Edenite hissed, "TAKE ME TO EDEN!"

Aelan shook his head, or at least tried to. "I'm afraid that's not possible. Eden's locked their relay system up. It's impossible to travel to and from Eden at the moment."

Obviously not an answer the Edenite was willing to accept, he threw Aelan to the ground, and pulled out a menacing looking pistol. "TAKE ME, OR DIE!"

Noin stood breathlessly as the Edenite pointed the pistol at Aelan. At the moment, there was very little she could do. If something were to distract his attention, then perhaps…

All of a sudden, Relena rushed forward, and demanded that the Edenite cease and desist his actions. "RELENA, STOP!"

Aelan watched in horror as Relena rushed forward, and screamed, "Stop this at once! I'm sure that we can arrange something!"

"Back away…" The Edenite seethed.

"I will not! This is my friend, and none of us will allow you to harm him!"

"BACK AWAY!" The Edenite then howled, and wheeled around, punching Relena in the chest, knocking Relena backward with the force of the blow. In a panic, Aelan jumped to his feet, but met a similar fate as Relena.

The Edenite turned back to Relena, then something changed. The ruthless savage suddenly seemed to drop away. He stared down at the prone woman, and gasped, "How could I have… How could I have harmed a woman?"

Suddenly, the Edenite broke into a full sprint, leaving the shopping district like a horde of hellspawn was right on his heels. Noin rushed to Relena's side, while Hilde and Duo came to Aelan's aid.

"Aelan, you all right?" Duo asked as he and Hilde helped the Advisor to a sitting position. Aelan shook his head, trying to clear it, and said, "That man was an Edenite, but I've never seen any Edenite act like that…"

Noin then screamed, "RELENA! SPEAK TO ME, RELENA!"

Rushing to where Noin kneeled over Relena, Aelan saw a sight that nearly made him vomit. Tears were rushing from Noin's eyes as a thick trail of blood started to dribble from the corner of Relena's mouth.

__

Centennial Memorial Park, New Richmond…

Heero stared down the opposition that had taken positions around the perimeter and inside box of their side of the basketball court. One defender had taken up defense right in front of Heero, arms outstretched, trying to deny any penetration.

'Standard Zone plus One defense.' Heero thought to himself. He quickly moved to the right, then slanted inside cutting down the middle of the court. As the zone collapsed around Heero, he passed the ball back outside, to a now open teammate.

However, Heero never really knew if his teammate had made the shot. As soon as he had let go of the ball, his mind was flooded with a horrifying vision. In it, a stretcher was taking Relena to a waiting ambulance. Something was wrong, something had happened to Relena.

Without any warning, Heero quickly dashed away from the court, barreling at full speed to the Shopping District, hoping that he wasn't too late. He quickly jumped in one of the taxi cars outside the park, and jumped in the back seat, at the same time pushing out an old man who had tried to get in the other side.

"Hey, man." The driver scolded, "That old man didn't need that. There's another cab coming in a few minutes."

"It's an emergency. I can't wait a few minutes." Heero replied hastily, "Take me to the Shopping District as fast as you can."

"Not with that attitude I'm not." The driver retorted stubbornly.

Heero gave his death glare, and warned through clenched teeth, "There are two ways we can do this. One, you can take me to the shopping district, and get paid for a good job, or…" He raised the corner of his shirt to accentuate the point, revealing his pistol, "You can do it with a gun to your head. It's your choice."

The driver panicked slightly, then said, "All right, all right, buddy. I'll take you there, just don't do something you'll regret later."

With that, the driver started the ignition, and rushed to the shopping district at top speed…

Mere minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the south entrance of the Shopping District. Heero pulled a credit note, and not even looking to see how large it was, threw it at the driver. He rushed into the district, his eyes frantically scanning for Relena. Noticing that a large crowd had formed around the central courtyard, he pushed through the crowd, and emerged to see Relena being placed on the stretcher in his vision.

"I'm too late…" Heero said, and ran over to where Aelan was standing. Grabbing the advisor by the shoulder, he demanded, "What happened?"

Aelan was at first a little surprised to see Heero, but responded, "An Edenite attacked me. Relena tried to stop him, and she got hurt."

"Where is this Edenite now?" Heero demanded.

"I don't know. He looked at Relena after he had hit her, and took off in a fright." Aelan replied.

Heero glanced back over at Relena, and noticed the medical crew wheeling her away. Heero rushed over, and jumped into the back of the ambulance as they loaded Relena, ignoring the medical officer's command to leave.

Aelan then approached, and said, "Let him be. It'll be fine."

Heero nodded thankfully to Aelan as the ambulance doors closed, and left the Shopping District on route to the nearest hospital.

__

Next Time…

Things are looking very grim for Relena, and her unborn child. With Terran technology incapable of bringing her back, and Eden totally blocked off, even to Aelan, things look totally hopeless. But the unlikeliest of people emerge to save the day, however he has a price.

Coming in Episode 16: Old Friends become New Friends


	4. Episode 16: Old Friends become New Frien...

****

Episode 16: Old Friends become New Friends

The mysterious discovery and disappearance of an Edenite found in Antarctica leads to his reappearance in North Am. But this Edenite is far different than any other, a brutal, violent warrior unlike anything seen in ages. Aelan Marcus tries to unravel the shrouds of mercy surrounding this alien being, hoping that he can find an answer before the berserker strikes again…

__

St. John Paul's Memorial Hospital, New Richmond

The doctor emerged from the ICU that Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft was being monitored in. As the assembled group (for Trowa and Wufei had recently joined them) stood, the doctor shook his head sadly.

"It's bad. The internal injuries are massive. Her ribcage was almost totally shattered, slicing open almost every major organ. I'm actually amazed that she's lived this long." The doctor admitted.

Aelan was the first to ask the question on several of their minds. "What about the child?"

Once again, the doctor shook his head, "The child is still alive, somehow it had been spared most of the violent blow, but its mother isn't going to live much longer, and when she goes, so does the kid."

Hilde almost couldn't bear such terrible news. Almost as if she was pleading, she cried, "Surely there's something we can do!" Her plea drew the attention of a few of the others in the waiting room, and Noin quickly quieted her.

"We just simply don't have the means to repair such extensive damage. Right now, the foreign minister is on life support, and that will extend her prognosis, but we are merely delaying the inevitable."

As the doctor finished, a young man suddenly burst into the waiting room, and shouted, "What happened?"

Aelan looked at the brash new visitor sternly, and said, "Who in God's name are you?"

Pausing for a second, as if trying to remember his own name, the young man finally replied, "Remington Geoffrey. I'm the one who found the Edenite that attacked you. He had disappeared from his stasis tube at our camp two days ago. When I learned of the attack, I came here as soon as I could. What happened?"

As Remington listened to the full report, he nodded, and sorrowfully dropped his head, "I can't believe that an Edenite would be capable of such a thing."

Off to the side, Aelan had sat down in one of the chairs lining the waiting room, his hands on his chin, his mind deep in thought as he replied, "He shouldn't be."

As the group turned in the Advisor's direction, he continued as if not caring who was listening. "Edenites are no stronger than humans. As a matter of fact, I'd say the last few eons have made us weaker physically. An Edenite simply shouldn't have the ability to do the sort of damage he did."

Remington thought about this, then asked, "I am curious about one thing. After striking Relena, the Edenite stopped his attack, and just ran off, right?"

When several people nodded, Remington asked, "Why?"

Aelan then answered, "That's something else. None of this makes any sense."

At that moment, Duo stepped aside, and whispered to Noin, "I'm going to check on Heero. He's gotta be taking this pretty hard."

Duo stepped past the nurse that was stationed outside the ICU that Relena was being held in. With a nod, he entered, the first thing entering his vision was Relena herself, and the picture wasn't pretty.

A mass of tubes were sticking out of her skin, most likely serving to fulfill all the functions of her major organs that were damaged during the attack. A long clear mask covered her nose and mouth, forcing her damaged body to breathe. The sight left Duo wondering how much longer they could let this go on.

'If I had only been able to do something, but that monster swatted me away like I was a fly. I just sat there on my ass while Relena was the one trying to do something.' Duo thought as he caught sight of Heero in the corner, looking over Relena. His face showed no emotion, looking almost coldly on Relena. It nearly caused Duo to snap.

"What do you think you're doing?" Duo demanded. 

Heero glanced at him quickly, then turned back to looking at Relena. "What do you mean?"

"Look at you!" Duo hissed, "The girl you were going to marry is sitting here dying, and you're looking at her like you're pissed you weren't the one to beat her senseless! Why are you so cold?"

"People show emotion in different ways, Duo."

"You don't show emotion at all, you asshole." Duo sneered. Duo could put up with Heero's antics most of the time, but this was too much, "Give it up, and drop the damn 'I'm above any pain' routine."

Heero didn't reply for a moment, then finally ordered, "Get out."

"What?"

"Get out of here. Just leave…"

Duo was about to protest, but then started to catch on. Finally, he said, "I can't do that, Heero. You can't just keep this bottled up. This sort of grief can destroy you. I know that personally."

Duo pulled up another chair, and placed it next to Heero. When the Zero pilot didn't object, Duo said, "Come on, man. You're human just like everyone else. I know you try to pretend you don't feel, but I, hell… EVERYONE here knows that isn't true. Let me assure you that if you don't let it out, you will destroy yourself. I came too close to doing that myself to watch you do it too."

"Go away… Duo…" Heero hissed, but Duo could tell he was starting to crack.

"No."

From there, it was like a giant dam bursting under the pressure of a mighty river. At first, it was a few errant tears, but it quickly erupted into a full-blown ocean of grief. Duo put his hand on Heero's shoulder while Heero cried in misery; the sorrow of a man on the verge of losing everything that mattered…

At that same time, Quatre had arrived, most likely taking an immediate flight from the colonies as soon as he had heard of the attack. He and Remington then listened as they were told all about the damage that the Edenite had done to Relena, and the grim prognosis; that Relena probably wouldn't last to see the next noon.

"You mean to tell me that there isn't any technology on Earth that can save her?" Remington moaned, "Why does this feel like it's all my damn fault?"

Suddenly, Quatre brightened, and said, "There isn't any technology on Earth, but there is on EDEN!"

For a brief moment, there was a flicker of hope that Relena might survive, but Aelan quickly extinguished it before it went out of hand. Looking up from Relena's medical charts that he had taken from the doctor, he said, "What I had said to the Edenite that attacked Relena was quite true. Eden has completely locked itself away from the rest of the known galaxy. I couldn't contact them if I tried. Even if I could, it is highly unlikely that they would help the man that destroyed their home."

"What about you?" Noin asked hopefully, "Surely you know something in that mind of yours…"

Aelan then shook his head, answering, "My knowledge of the medical field, while quite extensive in Terran terms, is severely lacking in the skills necessary to spare Relena's life."

As Noin slouched back in despair, a strangely familiar voice stated, "It sounds to me like you need the help of an Edenite medical technician."

Aelan's eyes nearly jumped out of his head as he instantly recognized the voice. "No way…" Aelan half gasped, and half-hissed. The group jumped to their feet, and turned in the direction of the voice. 

Standing at the entry of the waiting room, facing them with a slight smirk on his face, was the last person any of them expected to see in this existence;

Kiron Gorrs.

Kiron, in the flesh, quite alive, but apparently, not unscathed. As he walked to them, he seemed to walk with a slight limp, his face grimacing in pain with each step he took with his left foot. "How did you…"

"It amazing how people can't seem to recognize you when they think you're dead." Kiron mused, "As to how I survived, that can be discussed later. As I understand, your little foreign minister is in dire straights."

"That's right. Why would you want to help us?" Aelan asked suspiciously.

"Because I need you to do something for me, Aelan."

Noin was about to reject him, when Aelan put up his hand, and asked, "What is it you need?"

Kiron flushed slightly, then looked down at his leg, and said sheepishly, "My cybernetic leg is acting up, and I'm not sure how to repair it. I fix Relena, you fix my leg. How about it?"

Aelan was sure that Kiron had some other scheme in mind, but he decided he could deal with that later. "Fine. I'll do what I can AFTER Relena recovers."

"All right. Deal." Kiron then grabbed Relena's charts from Aelan. His eyes scanned the sheets, and the former tenant frowned, "Gee, you didn't give me much to work with, did you?"

Kiron then glanced over to the ICU, and said, "Are there any stasis tubes available?"

Aelan shook his head, and said, "Unfortunately, Terran technology isn't quite at that level yet."

Remington then stepped in, exclaiming, "WAIT! The stasis tube that Edenite came in is still intact. It's obviously old, but it was working when I found it."

Kiron then nodded, and said, "How long will it take to get it here?"

Aelan suddenly pulled out his comm-unit, and starting typing in numbers. As he put the device to his ear, he stated, "No more than a couple of hours… Yes, Amore? I need you to do me a little favor…"

__

Hours later…

As night passed on New Richmond, Kiron looked intently at the progress monitors. Since the stasis tube was quite antiquated, it was going to take much longer than it would on one of the modern models used by Eden. However, so far everything was going well.

Kiron had worried that the fetus would pose some problems, but even the young life growing in Relena's womb was responding beautifully to the process. As Kiron turned away to sit down, he noticed Heero STILL standing in the same corner that he had taken position in when Relena was placed in the stasis tube.

"Do you plan to stand there all night?" Kiron asked.

Heero glared, then answered, "As long as it takes to ensure that you do no harm to Relena. I trust you about as far as I can throw you."

"Don't you think that if I wanted the young lady harmed, I would have just done nothing and let her die?"

Heero didn't seem at all convinced, "I will never be totally sure what twisted schemes that warped mind could be concocting."

Kiron then nodded, and replied, "That's a good attitude to have. I can't be too sure of myself nowadays."

Aelan then appeared in the ward, a few tools in hand. "I'm surprised to hear you say that, Kiron. Such talk to a mere mortal is not fitting for a god…" He said sarcastically.

Kiron held up his hand, and replied as Aelan approached, "Please, I've given up on that illusion, trust me. What sort of God has to rely on a cybernetic leg?" On cue, Aelan lifted the leg in question, a small panel appearing in the synthetic skin, and pulling away, revealing a mass of processor chips and wires.

While Aelan tinkered with the piece of grafted technology, Kiron continued, "It seems like a lifetime ago. I'm not even sure what I was thinking during my rampage."

"How did you survive Kiron?" Aelan asked.

Kiron sighed, then answered, "The fold that you saw me heading for was merely one fold. The other appeared in the cockpit of my suit. I had decided to try and fool anybody trying to follow me, thinking I could always pick up my suit later, if not get a new one."

Looking down at his leg, he continued, "However, the power of that Matter Cannon took me off guard. I had been convinced that my suit's hull would be able to withstand the blast long enough for my escape. Perhaps my suit had been affected by the sonic barrage you used after all, Aelan. By the way, I want to congratulate you for that idea, Aelan. It really put the battle on an even keel."

Aelan chuckled, and replied, "That wasn't even my idea. It was Admiral Noin and Sally Po's."

At that, Kiron began to laugh, "Go figure… the race that I held as so inferior was the one that delivered the most crushing blow to my plans. Just goes to show how flawed my logic was."

Aelan marveled at the detail in the cybernetic leg that Kiron was wielding, and decided to change the subject. "Did you make this?"

"No. Ventrali, my brother, did. He was waiting for me at my secret base, and when I emerged from the fold, I discovered that everything from the knees down had been vaporized by the blast."

"The right leg is cybernetic, too?"

Kiron nodded, "That one's doing fine, though. Actually, this brings up why I'm here. Ventrali suddenly disappeared. Obviously, he didn't like the fact that I was calling it quits. Evidence suggested that he came here to Earth, so I followed him."

"Found it!" Aelan exclaimed, suddenly adjusting a processor on the leg panel, "It was actually quite simple, Kiron. The nerve sensitivity had been skewed far too high."

"Thank you." Kiron answered, "Once I'm done here. I'll be out of your hair. I have to find my brother, and figure out what he's up to."

Heero then stepped in, "You aren't doing anything, not unless we are involved. Hearing what you just said now makes me think that your brother coming to Earth, and the Edenite that attacked Relena, are related somehow. I want to find that monster that hurt her."

Aelan agreed, "Perhaps it is best for us to pool our resources for now. Besides, like Heero, I don't trust you for one second. If you think I'm going to let you run around unchecked, you're nuts."

"Careful, Aelan." Kiron warned, "Remember… I just could be…"

__

Next Time…

Kiron reveals some horrific truths about Eden, and some of the supposedly harmless projects that his brother Ventrali had undertaken. Also, Kiron takes Aelan to his secret base, where Kiron had discovered several supposedly lost records of the time before the coming of Eden's New Age. The pair search for a solution to Ventrali's plan. Meanwhile, Ventrali makes the next move, unveiling a powerful enemy that not even the Gundams can keep at bay.

Coming in Episode 17: A Bloody History


	5. Episode 17: A Bloody History

****

Episode 17: A Bloody History

The mysterious discovery and disappearance of an Edenite found in Antarctica leads to his reappearance in North Am. But this Edenite is far different than any other, a brutal, violent warrior unlike anything seen in ages. Aelan Marcus tries to unravel the shrouds of mercy surrounding this alien being, hoping that he can find an answer before the berserker strikes again…

__

St. John Paul's Memorial Hospital…

Kiron smiled as all the lights on the monitoring console finally turned green. He looked over at Heero, who STILL was standing in that same position that he had been ten hours before, glaring at Kiron like a hawk. For a brief moment, Kiron wondered if Heero ever slept. Even Kiron had taken a short nap during the recovery process.

"She's finished." Kiron stated. Even though Kiron knew that Heero must have heard him, the Wing Zero pilot made no indication that he had. He merely continued to stare almost murderously at Kiron. Finally giving up, Kiron turned back to the console, and began to drain the stasis tube.

Once all the thin gel substance slid back into its containers on the side of the stasis tube to be sterilized, Kiron opened the tube, and pulled the foreign minister out, laying her on a bed nearby.

After a few moments, Relena began to stir, and Heero finally turned his attention away from Kiron. In less than a cat's heartbeat, Heero was at her side, taking her hand slightly, and gently calling out to her.

Relena felt the haze of pain and blackness slowly drop away. After a few moments, she could distinguish between bright and dark blobs. As the picture became steadily clearer, her sense of hearing began to recover, and she heard HIS voice calling to her. She wasn't sure if she had ever heard a more blessed sound. After that, she felt his hand grabbing hers, and she instinctively tightened her grip.

Relena eventually realized that the reason she was only seeing a blob of light was because she still had her eyes closed. Finally opening them, she was initially stunned by a bright surge of light from the lamp above her. Her eyes adjusted to the sudden contrast, and she was able to look at her surroundings.

She saw Heero's face, looking down at her with a mix of worry and relief. Over his shoulder, another face emerged into view, and she screamed.

Heero and Kiron pulled away slightly as Relena panicked, screaming at the top of her lungs. This sound drew the attention of the rest of the assembly, who must have been waiting just outside the room.

Kiron frowned wryly, then admitted, "I should have figured upon a reaction like that."

Aelan nodded, and replied, "Yes, you should have."

Meanwhile, Heero was trying to calm Relena down. "Relena, relax… He's not here to harm anyone. As a matter of fact, without Kiron, you might not have been alive right now."

As Heero continued to console Relena, Kiron then approached Aelan. "I do have a few things to discuss with you. Between the two of us, I think we can take the available clues and figure out why Ventrali came here, and just who that Edenite that attacked Relena is."

"I suppose, but first I want to talk to Heero." Aelan answered. He knelt beside the pilot in question, who still seemed to be totally engrossed with Relena, albeit not surprisingly. Leaning close to his ear, Aelan whispered, "Is there anyplace that she can go to recover from this ordeal? I think she could use a few days rest."

Heero didn't look at Aelan, but replied, "Yeah."

Aelan smiled, then added, "Why don't you join her? You haven't had a good days relaxation yourself for a while."

"Thank you."

__

Mexican Highlands…

Amore Doran stared down at the coordinates that Aelan had inputted into the Fold Generator one more time. She glanced at Kiron warily slightly suspicious that something was amiss. Since he had arrived, he had not said a word, and was intentionally avoiding eye contact.

"Advisor Marcus, you are aware that these coordinates are in deep space." She asked.

Aelan smirked, and said as if nothing was at all strange, "Yes, I know."

Amore pursed her lips. When Aelan was concerned, she could never be totally sure whether he was simply ignorant, or knew something she didn't. Since Aelan was prone to both at times, she decided to add, "Well, I'm not sure if such a jump is wise."

"Are you noticing a relay connection, Amore?" Aelan asked. He seemed somewhat amused.

Amore glanced down at the console again, and nodded. There was indeed a direct relay connection, rather than a remote connection that would be generated by a deep space relay point. Whatever was on the other end had its own Fold Generator.

"Are you sure you trust this man, Advisor?"

Aelan looked at Kiron, then at Amore. "Not at all. But I have to discover what Ventrali is doing here, and how he is connected to the mysterious Edenite that nearly killed Relena."

"What do you hope to find there?"

Kiron finally spoke, but his voice seemed to be pained. "Answers, my dear Doran. Answers."

__

Deep Space, 17.5 light years from Eden…

The pair of Edenites emerged into the small, self-contained base that had hidden itself well in a large asteroid cluster orbiting the decayed remnants of what must have been a rather large star. Artificial light from the panels above nearly overpowered the light of the tiny brown dwarf, making it hard to see even from their relative close distance.

"This base Ventrali and I built 15 years ago, when we first made the discovery that set my plans into motion. Perhaps I should explain a little bit more into what motivated my ambitions before we begin to delve into the files." Kiron stated as they proceeded to the the main chamber.

Aelan nodded, and said, "Yes, that might be enlightening."

"Remember what the Tenant Council taught every Edenite? That when the New Age of Eden began, the early Tenant Council eliminated the warring clans, and also eliminated all the records of the great wars?"

Aelan remembered very well, "Yes, of course I remember that."

"It wasn't entirely true. The Tenant Council never found all the records of the galactic conflicts. The discovery I mentioned earlier was the records of a General Calnus, the General of the Carean Clan."

"And I take it these records are now located on this base." Aelan surmised.

"Correct." Kiron replied as they entered the main chamber. Kiron then accessed the main computer, and the main viewscreens flared with text and diagrams. 

Aelan analyzed the data as they streamed forth then commented, "This appears to be a biological unit, something that the ancient Edenites used. I see… our ancestors used this device to control the body chemistry of the soldier it had been implanted into."

"The unit was inserted next to the pituitary gland of the recipient. It enabled the body to produce all sorts of hormones like adrenaline, causing the implanted soldier to gain absolutely abnormal capabilities like the strength to lift tanks, or the speed of the fastest land animals." Kiron added, "However, the unit had a terrible side effect. The hormones that it produced also caused the recipient to emerge into an almost berserker rage. Only the most controlled soldiers were able to use it, and even they had problems."

All of a sudden, Kiron dropped his head, and took a small datapad from the top of the console. "I think I should give you this. I suggest you read it before we continue." As Aelan took the datapad, Kiron warned, "A lot of what you are about to read might seem unbelievable, but let me assure you that it is all true."

Aelan walked over to the other side of the chamber, and leaning against the wall, activated the datapad, putting one hand on his chin as the other held the pad so he could read…

__

Data Record, Kiron Gorrs:

No one outside my circle had ever realized the true intent of Project Eternal, and by the time anyone decides to investigate the strange occurrences that led to its termination, any evidence will be long gone.

The attempt to revive the dead Edenite, and with it, the intent to control it using the same technology that the ancient clans used to create their overpowering soldiers, was a dismal failure. We suffered the same critical flaw that they had all those ages ago.

Despite Yeara's and Ventrali's best efforts to control the surge of hormones that gave the ancient Edenites their incredible powers, the cyborg that was to symbolize my new empire went berserk. Had it not been for Aelan, of all people, I might not have an Eden to rule. 

Still, my brother's failure was at great cost. Yeara Marcus, one of my staunchest supporters, has died. My brother, Ventrali, will not get another chance to make the same mistake. As of now, I decided to no longer pursue the technology of the ancient ones. A new plan has literally risen to my attention. I have discovered a race which could hold the key to my new dominion:

Earth.

"Aelan?" Kiron asked as the North Am advisor finished the record that Kiron had given him.

Aelan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and said, "I see why you wanted me to read this."

Kiron said, "I know what you are going to say next. 'Do you honestly expect me to believe that my wife was involved in this'?"

Aelan shook his head, and answered, "My wife was an incredibly intelligent woman. There was no way she could be so close to a project without realizing the truth behind what was going on. I just find it implausible that she was as twisted in her desires as you and your brother are."

Kiron smiled, and answered, "She wasn't. She honestly thought that she was doing this for the greater good of Eden. She pictured a paradise with the cyborg soldiers serving as an impenetrable line of defense. I know you blame yourself for her death. You shouldn't. She knew exactly what she was getting into, she had only herself to hold accountable."

Kiron then shook himself out of his reverie, and said, "Anyway, that wasn't why I called you. Come over here." As Aelan complied, Kiron tapped a few buttons on the console, and asked, "Is this the man who attacked you and Relena?"

A face appeared on the viewscreen, and it was undeniable. "Yes." Aelan answered, "That is definitely the man."

Kiron looked down in dismay, and mutted, "This is not good, not good at all…"

"Why? Had be been infused with one of those units?" Aelan remembered how that Edenite had been in cryo-stasis. Had he been in cryo-stasis that long? "Is he from the Carean Clan?"

Kiron then stared at Aelan grimly. "You could say that, on both counts. That man… he's General Calnus."

__

Offices of the Advisor, North Am…

Alarms blared from the hangars underneath the offices, and four Gundam pilots came charging down the steps, hurriedly rushing to where Admiral Noin and Hilde were waiting.

"What's the…" Duo began, then saw the sensor readout, "BY GOD! WHAT IN HELL IS THAT!"

"It's an unidentified mobile suit." Noin answered.

"That's ONE mobile suit?" Wufei questioned, "For it to be one suit, it would have to be absolutely mammoth."

"I know it's enormous, but it is definitely one mobile suit." Noin stated, "It is heading right this way." 

At that moment, the tech officer operating the sensor array said, "We are receiving a transmission from the unidentified suit."

When the voice boomed over the comm, Duo recognized it immediately. It was the Edenite that had attacked Aelan, and damn near killed Relena.

"I am Calnus of the Juggernaut. I demand for you to turn over Aelan Marcus. You shall comply, or you shall die." The Edenite from the Shopping District demanded.

Noin then responded to the summons, saying, "I am Admiral Lucrezia Noin of the North Am Elite Unit. Advisor Aelan is not here at the moment. If you wish to discuss what you want, I'm sure we can…"

"THERE WILL BE NO DISCUSSION!" Calnus screamed, "If you do not give me Aelan Marcus, you all will die!" From there, the transmission was ended.

Noin looked at the Gundam pilots, and said blandly, "I guess our hands are tied."

Quatre looked over at Sandrock, which had been gracefully given a spot in the hangars. "This Calnus has already shown the desire to kill if it attains what he wants. We have to assume that he is a threat."

"I guess that settles it then." Trowa finished, "We must do whatever we can to eliminate this menace. I will not allow anyone to be bullied by this monster."

The Gundam pilots quickly started to scramble their suits, and Noin was equally quick to prep Cygnus. As Hilde prepared to follow, Noin called down, "Hilde, I need you to stay here, and inform him of what's happening."

"But…" Hilde began to protest.

"Hilde, I know that you want to prove yourself, but the best way to do that is by following orders." Noin said, "Besides, we might need you later. I have a terrible feeling that this won't be our last run-in with Calnus."

The pilots launched from the hangars, and proceeded at top speed to where Juggernaut was approaching with equally impressive haste. They met just outside New Richmond, where Calnus once again demanded, "Where is Aelan?"

"He's not here." Noin answered, "I already told you that. Why do you want him anyway?"

"Aelan will take me to Eden."

Duo then screamed out, "Are you dense! Eden is locked out. No one can get there!"

"I WILL GO TO EDEN! AND AELAN WILL TAKE ME THERE!" Calnus hollered, "OR YOU WILL ALL DIE!"

As the battle began, the North Am pilots quickly learned that while Juggernaut was about five times larger than the average mobile suit, it was no less agile. The battle raged on for ten minutes before anyone landed a single hit, a brutal swipe with Deathscythe's twin thermal blade. It seemed to glance off the suit with minimal damage.

"Of course it would have to be reinforced with Durium armoring…" Duo moaned, just recovering in time to avoid a massive swipe with Juggernaut's left arm that could have ripped apart a small mountain.

The battle continued to rage, but it appeared that the Gundams were starting to gain the upper hand. Their numbers started to take their toll, and the hits started to land, and also started to dent the thick plating of Juggernaut. However, each blow seemed to have little effect on the pilot inside.

Finally, an intense combo of attacks from all the North Am suits sent Juggernaut crashing to the ground. After three seconds of immobility, Juggernaut stood up like nothing had even happened.

"What does it take to bring this guy down?" Duo screamed in disbelief.

"The entire cockpit of that thing should be a pool of blood." Wufei commented, "We hit that thing with everything we had."

Calnus started to laugh, and said, "That was interesting. I have discovered that you have no capability of stopping me. Now, feel the fury of JUGGERNAUT!"

It suddenly took off with such speed that seemed impossible for a suit of its size, connecting with a brutal hit that knocked Sandrock Kai right out of the sky. It collided with the ground, sparks flying from the Gundam.

"QUATRE!" Noin shouted, but only received a pained moan as a reply. At least he was still alive… for now. Juggernaut once again moved to the attack, engaging Heavyarms. Deathscythe and Altron joined in the fight, but Noin watched as the three were removed from combat with ease.

She was so stunned by the power behind the attacks of Juggernaut that by the time she reacted to the massive mobile suit engaging Cygnus, it was far too late. However, Noin suffered a far different fate. When the enemy suit touched Cygnus, an immense neural shock rushed through the golden suit. Upon reaching the cockpit, it served to instantly render Noin unconscious with little pain.

Duo looked up helplessly as another one of his friends was at the mercy of that Edenite monster. "Damn you! Let her go!"

The Edenite paid him no attention. He turned back to the advisor offices, and broadcasting back to the offices, announced, "AELAN MARCUS! IF YOU WISH FOR THIS WOMAN TO LIVE, YOU'LL GIVE IN!"

Duo watched as Juggernaut pulled back as if to strike a killing blow to Noin, but he also watched as time passed with no response to Calnus's call, and no action from Juggernaut.

"I'm serious!" Calnus yelled, but he was sounding increasingly uncertain, "I'll kill her!" 

Then it all clicked in Duo's head. He remembered the attack on the Shopping District, and how Calnus had reacted to striking Relena. He had totally freaked out, and ran off like he had committed some carnal sin.

"Calnus won't intentionally hurt a girl!" Duo exclaimed, "Lucky Noin."

Finally, it appeared that Calnus was doing to do something. Slinging Cygnus over his shoulder, Calnus shouted one last time, "When you decide you wish to give up, you can have your little woman back! I will inform you of where to find me!" From there, Juggernaut took off again, racing out over the ocean to parts unknown.

Hilde had managed to get in contact with someone, but not Aelan. As she continued to converse, Heero was quickly on his way back to New Richmond.

"And you say that this monster just left?" Heero asked coldly.

"Yes. He took Admiral Noin with him. Are you sure you don't know where Advisor Aelan is?" Hilde was almost shocked by Heero's reaction. He had always been a little cold, but Heero now seemed like he was ready to rip Calnus into pieces with nothing up his bare hands. 

"Not a clue. I left with Relena before he left with Kiron, and he told me nothing of his plans. I am not far away now, and we will continue this conversation when I arrive."

"Roger." Hilde confirmed, and killed the conversation. "Where could you be, Aelan?" At that moment, she guessed, "Maybe that girl Amore had contacted him…"

Connecting with the Fold Generator in Mexico, Amore voice came over the comm. "Who is this and what do you want?"

"You sure aren't gonna win any points with your manners, Miss Doran. No wonder you've never been able to get a man." Hilde chuckled.

Amore seemed to recognize the voice instantly, "What is it, Hilde? I'm waiting for Aelan to tell me that he wants to come back."

"You know where Aelan is? Can you connect me with him?" Hilde nearly wailed, "It's REEEEEEEEEEEEEALY important."

Amore seemed confused, but complied nonetheless, "Very well… I'll try. There might be some lag even through the Fold Generator, though. His coordinates are very far away."

There was silence for about three seconds, then Aelan's voice came over the comm, "Hilde, Amore says its important. What's happening?"

"Some freak named Calnus attacked North Am in some gigantic mobile suit! He's kidnapped Noin and is demanding that if you want to see her again, you'll give up."

After another brief silence, she heard something from Aelan that sounded like a curse to every god in existence. Finally, he replied directly to Hilde, "I'm on my way as soon as possible. Find Heero and have him meet me in North Am."

"Already did. I thought that he might know where you are. He's heading this way as we speak."

After another silence, Aelan sighed in relief, then ordered finally, "Good. Prep your suit while you're at it. We might need every bit of firepower we can get our hands on."

__

Next Time…

Aelan quickly devises a plan to rescue Noin from Calnus. Hilde is given an important role in the mission, as Heero and Aelan are required to battle Calnus and his immense suit Juggernaut. Meanwhile, Noin realizes just how far Ventrali has gone to fulfill his purposes.

Coming in Episode 18: Heero's Desire for Revenge


	6. Episode 18: Heero's Desire for Revenge

****

Episode 18: Heero's Desire for Revenge

Project Eternal: An Edenite task that on the surface was meant to be a crowning glory for Eden, bringing back the dead to another life. However, the dark reality of the project has been exposed. Utilizing technology from Eden's bloody past, the hope was to create an army of soldiers for Eden.

However, one of the ancient menaces of the past has awakened. What does this foray into the dark history of Eden mean for the galaxy? And could the answer to the menace of Calnus actually be worse than the problem?

Wing Zero thrust forward, and as Juggernaut dodged, Heero countered with a blast from his twin buster rifle. The blow didn't do much damage, but it set up the next blow, sending his beam sabre right into Juggernaut's neck. As the huge suit collapsed, Heero jumped out of Wing Zero's cockpit, landing at the entrance to Juggernaut. As Calnus emerged, trying to escape the wreckage of his suit, Heero was waiting. He threw the large Edenite to the ground, where Calnus landed headfirst with a sickening thud.

With a murderous look plastered on his face, Heero jumped down as well. Grabbing Calnus by the scalp, Heero pulled the Edenite upward so that he could look into Calnus's face. 

Calnus's eyes had rolled back into his head, blood oozing from where he had struck the hard ground. Heero then mercilessly delivered a wicked punch to Calnus's ribs, causing the Edenite to spit up involuntarily, a thick torrent of blood spurting forward from between Calnus's lips.

Then Heero pulled his pistol out of its holster, and aimed it straight at Calnus's black heart. One shot, and the large Edenite wasn't waking up any time soon. However, it just wasn't enough. Heero was in a maddened froth, emptying several rounds into various portions of Calnus's corpse. 

When the magazine finally clicked empty, Heero then pulled out a long knife. With one sharp jab, he punctured Calnus's abdomen. Slicing upward quickly, Heero could feel the resistance as the knife slit through the diaphragm, then cut through ribs, ripping through the trachea, and finally stopping at Calnus's jaw. Heero watched with sick pleasure as the internal chest cavity of Calnus spilled forward. 

Heero stood in front of the mutilated body of the Edenite general, suddenly regretting that he didn't have a flamethrower handy…

Heero waited in the cockpit of Wing Zero, waiting for Aelan to receive the coordinates in which Noin was being held hostage. He just wanted to get his hands (or even better, Wing Zero's hands) around that freak of nature Calnus, and strangle every last drop of life from that monster's body. Looking down, Heero noticed that he was clenching the control sticks of Wing Zero so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"I hope that you were showing me my future, Zero." Heero hissed, "Nothing would be more welcome than what I just saw." Heero's anger had surprised even himself. Sure, he had been angry before, but this was beyond even what he thought was acceptable. The mission was to rescue Admiral Noin, but at the moment, saving someone's life was the last thing on his mind.

Aelan looked up at Wing Zero, and sighed. Heero really should be relaxing! It was obvious that he had not yet fully recovered from his recent trauma. However, Aelan admitted sadly, Heero and Wing Zero were desperately needed for his plan to succeed. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Aelan could only hope that Heero would be able to keep the rampaging emotions in check, especially since they were going to be engaging the man that Heero probably wanted to disembowel.

"Just keep cool, Heero." Aelan muttered, "You'll get your chance…"

"Pardon?" Hilde asked from the seat in front of the comm console. She was looking up at him curiously.

"Nothing." Aelan replied.

"How long will the Gundams need to be fully operative?" Hilde asked. He wouldn't have taken and switched systems unless Duo wasn't going to be involved.

"The Gundams will be several more days before repairs can be finalized." Aelan admitted, "They will not be in time. In that case, you will need to pull Noin out of wherever she is."

"Me?" Hilde asked. Aelan had told her to be ready for action, but she hadn't expected that she would be asked to take on such an important role.

"Yes, you." Aelan chuckled, "According to Duo, you have experience in sneaking into places, and pulling out vital goods. Secondly, there are only going to be three units that will be capable of action: you, Heero, and me. Heero and I will be preoccupied with indulging Calnus. Which leaves…"

"Me." Hilde finished. She remembered her raid on the Libra more than four years ago. Pulling a human being out is a little trickier than a data disk. "We have no idea what condition Noin will be in. Plus, I'm assuming that you'll need me to locate Cygnus as well."

Hilde then noted, "Besides, the only reason I got inside Libra in the first place was because I tricked them into thinking that I was one of them. I highly doubt I'll be able to do that again."

"I can help you with that." Aelan replied. "I had anticipated your skills when you came on board, and how they could best be put to use. Follow me."

They entered the hangar bay in which Commadore and usually Cygnus were stationed. She also noticed the strange black mobile suit that she had gotten glances at over the last few days.

Aelan announced, "Hilde, let me introduce you to Phantom."

"Who is this supposed to be…" Then the bolt of realization hit her. "No way…"

Aelan smirked, and retorted, "What? You thought I was going to have you pilot that antiquated Virgo forever?"

"Well, I didn't think that you'd…"

"Spare the humility, Miss Schbeckler. My duty being in charge of the Elite Unit is to insure that the pilots of the elite unit have the best chances of survival, one the best ways to do that is to give them the best possible equipment."

As the two rode up the small lift that led them to the cockpit of Phantom, Aelan then sheepishly admitted, "Although, I must be honest, the weapons systems on Phantom aren't totally completed yet, but that can't be helped."

Aelan jumped into the cockpit, and motioned for Hilde to follow. As she complied, Aelan explained, "Even with the weapons systems fully operational, I will tell you that Phantom falls rather short in combat ability as compared to the rebuilt Gundams or the two other suits I designed."

When Hilde snorted, Aelan quickly waved his finger in reprimand, "Don't sell this suit short yet. I haven't told you the best parts of it. This unit has a cloaking system that is five times more effective that the one found on Deathscythe Hell."

"Really?" That perked Hilde's attention.

"This suit is more designed for covert combat rather than the type of battle that the Gundams are designed for. Its abilities aren't ones that would directly defeat an enemy, but would be of great advantage nonetheless."

"Like how?"

Aelan pursed his lips, and answered, "For example, when I had the alloy for the other suits forged, I used a Durium/Gundanium armor alloy on a Gundanium frame. With Phantom here, I kept the same frame, but the armor plating is a Durium/Iridium alloy."

"Why'd you do that?"

"Well… granted this alloy isn't quite as durable as the one used on the other suits, but it has a most unique advantage. When you press this button here," Aelan pointed at a large yellow button on the right side of the cockpit, "It sends a slight electrical charge through the hull plates."

"And that does…?" Hilde queried.

"Don't rush me. I'm getting to that. This particular alloy has a quirky reaction to electricity. When electrified, the alloy radiates a type of magnetic field that repels all high-band energy sent its way."

"High band energy like plasma or beams?" Hilde asked, catching on.

"Exactly. It creates what I call the mirror shield. Most shields work on the principle of absorbing force. This one merely redirects it harmlessly away."

"Then why isn't that thing on constantly?"

"Well, it repels ALL high-band energy, including the energy found inside Phantom. Left on too long, you'll find yourself with a totally spent and defenseless suit. I had thought about adding a proximity threat indicator that would activate the shield when a threat emerges, but I discovered that the pilot was a much better judge of what was a threat or not than the computer."

"I see."

Aelan then smiled, "But that's not the best part. On this nice little suit is a miniature fold generator. The range isn't that great, only about 100-kilometer radius, but the ability to pop up right behind an enemy that never sees you coming is quite a nice advantage in any battle."

"Anyway." Aelan finished, "This is how you'll be able to get up close to Calnus's base without being detected. Then, once you found Noin and Cygnus, you'll make a break for it at top speed to North Am."

Finally, one of the comm operators shouted from ground level, "Advisor. Calnus has left us the coordinates to meet him. From that, we were able to discern where Admiral Noin was."

Aelan leaned over, and called down, "Well… out with it. Where is she?"

He stammered for a moment, then replied, "She's in… New Port City. The… presidential estate to be exact."

__

Presidential Estate, New Port City…

Noin couldn't help but find the entire situation rather humiliating. Sitting in a chair, the backrest crushing against her chest, with her wrists tied behind her back, and her ankles tied to the legs of the chair. She had been struggling with her bonds for the last two hours, but discovered that Calnus was quite good at tying knots.

She glanced around her surroundings one more time. She had been brought into the raid shelter of the Presidential Estate, in one of the darker corners so that she could only see due to the light that filtered in from the open doorway.

"If Aelan Marcus is nearly as noble as you claim he is, he will come to meet with me. From there, he will take me to Eden, and you will be free." Calnus commented.

Noin was not in the mood, and snapped, "Oh, Advisor Aelan will come here all right, but it sure as hell won't be to have you blackmail him. He'll come to kick your over-muscled ass!"

"Perhaps he will." Calnus chuckled, "The true desire of Eden cannot ever be totally denied. But he will find such effort for naught. My Juggernaut is invincible. You've seen that for yourself."

"Nothing is invincible, General Calnus. If you underestimate him, he will defeat you, and that marvel called Juggernaut." A strangely familiar voice chided.

"YOU DO NOT CHASTISE ME, HUMAN!" Calnus roared, "What is it you want?"

"I merely came to tell you that Aelan has indeed responded to your request. He's brought with him a friend. The pair could be trouble."

'Heero…' Noin thought, 'It has to be.'

"I WILL DECIDE WHO IS TROUBLE!" Calnus bellowed, then started to walk out of the darkened room. "I do not want to hear of the Admiral being harmed in any way. If so much as one hair on her head has been harmed, your life will be due payment."

Finally, the large Edenite left. The figure that she still couldn't fully see looked around the corner, obviously waiting for Calnus to disappear entirely. Finally, the figure stepped back inside, and she finally was able to get a look at his face as he approached closely.

It was the President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation.

"What…?" Noin gasped, "Why…"

"It's quite simple, Admiral." The President stated, "I had worked for all my life to reach where I am now. Now, all of a sudden, some freak from another planet comes along, and is about to destroy all that."

"How dare you suggest…" Noin said breathlessly.

"Haven't you heard all the talk of Advisor Aelan running for President of the Sphere? The man has such an impenetrable wall of trust from just about every person on the whole planet, that they wouldn't even believe me if I had told them why he had really come here in the first place!"

Noin was simply shocked to silence. Aelan had no desire to run for the Presidency. As a matter of fact, it had taken months of gentle pushing to get him to run for re-election for Advisor. All the talk was just that… talk.

"You see, that alien would beat me! All that I'd have worked for would have been destroyed. But thanks to Ventrali, I have the means to end his threat. General Calnus will eliminate Aelan."

"And as for you… I'm not sure I like the way that you support that alien. Maybe I need to teach you a little lesson." The President motioned to the guards who started to wheel in a small table.

"Remember…" Noin warned, "Calnus would kill you if he found out you've been torturing me."

The President smiled mischeviously, then answered, "Who said that what I planned to do would ever leave a mark?"

__

Outside New Port City…

"Where is Admiral Noin?" Aelan shouted.

From the gigantic suit that must have been housing Calnus came the reply. "Take me to Eden, and she goes free."

"DAMN IT, CALNUS!" Aelan screamed, "Eden has locked itself away. I can't take you where you want to go! How many times do I or my friends have to tell you?"

Heero however, didn't wait for Calnus's reply. He rushed into the attack screaming, "You will not hurt another, Calnus! Your terror ends here!" Aelan tried to call out to Heero, but by then it was too late.

For a moment, Aelan watched as Wing Zero and Juggernaut engaged in combat. Finally, he decided that any chance of a peaceful solution was gone. While Heero kept Calnus occupied, Aelan brought his matter cannon to Commadore's shoulder. With luck, he could end it here…

Noin felt like her entire body was on fire. Whatever the chemical was that the President had injected into Noin's system, it was burning through her bloodstream, causing incredible pain. The pain was so intense that she could barely hear the sounds of struggle just outside.

Noin tried hard just to breathe straight, when another person emerged into the room. Noin's vision was a little blurred, but when the person got closer, Noin recognized the visitor instantly.

"Hilde… It's nice to see you…" Noin said softly, trying to keep her head from throbbing. The agony was beginning to recede, but it still made it hard for Noin to function.

"I've found Cygnus." Hilde commented as she used a knife to cut through Noin's bonds, "Once we've gotten it out, you can take me to my suit, and we can high tail it out of here."

"Good… let's do it quickly." Noin ordered, "We have no idea when more support will arrive."

As Noin started to walk, she stumbled, falling to her knees. Hilde quickly came to her aid, asking, "Are you capable of this, Admiral?"

Noin nodded, "Something that the President gave me, but it's wearing off. I'll be fine, let's go…"

Heero split the twin buster rifle into two separate weapons, and quickly fired one at Juggernaut. Displaying incredible agility, the giant suit dodged the first blast, only to walk right into the second one.

Juggernaut wasn't badly damaged, but Calnus was impressed nontheless. He had never encountered a soldier quite like the one he was battling at the moment. 'It's as if he knows what I'm going to do before I know it…' Calnus mused. As he was about to maneuver Juggernaut to counterattack, his sensors detected a large energy pulse building. Glancing in that direction, he saw Aelan's suit powering up its mighty Matter Cannon.

"Well, so Aelan wasn't just cowering away after all…" Calnus hissed, and pressed the console on his left-hand side.

Aelan fired the cannon, it's blue beam of energy rifling forward at light speed. However, before the beam struck Juggernaut, it was engulfed by a small gravity well that had formed in between the two suits.

Aelan smiled wryly, and said, "I should have figured that you'd have planned for that, Ventrali. Well done." Aelan pulled the Matter Cannon back to it's stationary position, and ignited the twin beam sabers. "It appears that I'm going to have to do this the hard way…"

"DAMN… they're closing in!" Noin shouted as Cygnus and Phantom rushed from the Presidential Estates, being followed by mobile suits like the ones she had fought on Eden. However, without the sonic pulse to even the score, the enemies' sheer numbers would quickly overwhelm them.

"I'd love to just turn around, and turn 'em to scrap, but the weapons systems of this little beauty aren't completed yet." Hilde hissed, "I could probably get away, but then you'd be caught once again, and I'd be right back where I started."

Noin's mind raced through the rapidly decreasing pain; then she got a bolt of inspiration. "I have an idea… just try and keep our new friends busy while I pull it off…"

It seemed like the fight was never going to end. Neither side seemed to be able to gain any real advantage. Of course it helped Aelan's cause that Heero was fighting with the strength and intensity of twenty men. It had been obvious to Aelan that Heero was just waiting for this moment, and he wasn't going to lose no matter what Calnus did.

Abruptly, Juggernaut then pushed both mobile suits away. Expecting some sort of counter, instead the massive suit remained motionless. Finally, it turned away, and blasted off back towards the Presidential Estates.

Heero started to follow, but Aelan was quicker this time. "Heero, STOP! This fight is going nowhere. Don't worry, we'll get another chance at him."

Heero just continued to seethe, "Relena… I failed you…"

"Relena wouldn't have wanted you killing that man, and you know it. Revenge is a strong emotion, I know, but all too often we let it control us. You have to be fighting this man for the right reasons."

There was silence for a moment, then Heero answered, "You're right…"

At that moment, Cygnus and Phantom appeared. Hilde then patched over the comm, and said, "I see things went well on your end."

Aelan looked curiously in the direction of New Port City, and replied, "It could be phrased that way, although Calnus's sudden departure leaves several questions."

Hilde laughed, then said, "Tell him, Admiral."

Noin joined Hilde in laughter, and answered, "Calnus doesn't like to harm women, and it became apparent that he didn't like others harming women either. I patched into Calnus's comm, and told him what the President had done to me. Calnus was so pissed, he's probably heading for the Presidential Estates to give that bastard what for."  
Instead of amused, Aelan was furious, "YOU IDIOTS!"

Hilde, Noin, and Heero all had the same reply, "Huh?"

On the horizon, an object barely visible shot straight upward. It could only have been Juggernaut. The giant suit hovered over New Port City, then a massive beam of energy zipped down towards the central square.

The four Elite Unit members could only watch helplessly as all of New Port City was engulfed in a blinding white light…

__

Next Time…

It is a dark day in North Am, as the destruction of New Port City at the hands of Calnus weighs heavily on their minds. Aelan prepares to battle Calnus again, and when Juggernaut arrives once again in North Am, he unveils a new weapon to assist in the battle. But what cost does this terrible new development hold for everyone?

Coming in Episode 19: And it was Called Commadore Eternal…


	7. Episode 19: And it was Called Commadore ...

****

Episode 19: And it was Called Commadore Eternal

Project Eternal: An Edenite task that on the surface was meant to be a crowning glory for Eden, bringing back the dead to another life. However, the dark reality of the project has been exposed. Utilizing technology from Eden's bloody past, the hope was to create an army of soldiers for Eden.

However, one of the ancient menaces of the past has awakened. What does this foray into the dark history of Eden mean for the galaxy? And could the answer to the menace of Calnus actually be worse than the problem?

__

Offices of the Advisor, New Richmond

Noin stepped cautiously around the mass of workmen that were busy repairing or updating the suits of the North Am Elite Unit. Even Cygnus was getting a few tweaks, including a promise of sorts Aelan made a few months ago. As she watched breathlessly, one of the giant matter cannons was being placed on the updated shoulder mechanism of her mobile suit.

It had been a week since the destruction of New Port City, and everyone was feeling the blow. No doubt the incredible changes that were going on were in response to Calnus's hideous act. In the two battles with Juggernaut, the Gundam pilots and her were completely overwhelmed, and in the second one, Aelan and Heero only managed to fight it to a standstill.

Glancing to her left, she saw at least twenty technicians finishing their work on Phantom, Hilde's new mobile suit. However, most of the action was milling about Commadore, which looked like it was getting a total overhaul. Yesterday, it had been nothing but its Gundanium frame, but now with tireless effort was back in one piece. Additional panels had been added, and a second matter cannon had been placed on the other shoulder than the first, but they had been modified so that they could be detached, and carried in both of Commadore's hands.

From the middle of the activity, she noticed Aelan carrying a whole panel of system discs. Stepping closer, she attempted to listen in over all the background noise.

She watched as he grabbed one of the techs, and said, "Install these in place of the Zero System."

"What is this?" The tech asked curiously.

"It's a little complex, I don't have time to explain fully what it does. In essence it does what the Zero System does, only a little better."

"I understand, Advisor. I'll get on it right away." The tech than rode the lift to the cockpit of Commadore, and stepped inside, most likely installing the system discs he had been given.

Aelan walked away from the maelstrom of activity, and Noin approached him. "What is all of this, and what was that system you gave that tech?"

"My battle with Juggernaut has made me realize that I can't hold any more cards to my chest. I have to do everything I can, because I know that Ventrali is going to do the same." Aelan then looked up at Commadore, now drastically different than the suit he had piloted before, although definitely with its similarities, "This time, there is going to be NO mistake as to the fate of General Calnus."

"I do have a question about that." Noin replied, "No one has been able to locate Calnus OR his suit. How do you expect to find him?"

Aelan stared at Noin, his eyes glowing with orange fire. "You forget. General Calnus still has business in North Am. We won't have to find him…"

The Advisor of North Am then looked back at his rebuilt suit, "…He'll find us."

'Aelan seems so much different lately. Maybe that run-in with Juggernaut has affected him more than he's willing to admit.' Noin pondered as she walked back up the steps to the Advisor Offices.

"Admiral Noin!" Relena said sweetly as she walked down the steps, but it quickly turned to concern. "I heard what happened. Are you all right?"

Noin smirked, and answered, "I was about to ask you the same thing."

"It was quite refreshing, and I really regained my wits. The mountains of Colorado are absolutely beautiful. If only they could bottle it, and sell it to people with stress disorders. Although it was a shame that Heero had to leave so early."

Noin was about to reply, when Kiron interrupted them, "Can I make a request of you two?"

Over the last week, Noin had discovered a distinct change in the man who was once the Advisor to the space colonies. He always seemed to be contemplating his own transgressions, and when other people sorrowed over their errors, he was always quick to point out that he had done far worse. The arrogant man that had nearly destroyed Earth had indeed changed. Not even he was sure of his own rationale anymore.

"What is it, Kiron?"

"Keep an eye on Aelan."

"Pardon?" Relena and Noin asked simultaneously.

The Edenite leaned against the guardrail of the stairs, and replied, "Aelan had me do something that even he admitted could turn out to be a horrible mistake. I can't explain what just at the moment, for I'm not sure how he plans to implement it. But just keep an eye on him anyways."

Noin nodded, and Relena followed suit, saying, "Certainly."

Heero watched impressively as the technicians worked dutifully on upgrading Wing Zero. There weren't any drastic changes, but Aelan assured him that the unit would be running at a much higher capability. Perhaps now, Calnus would suffer for what that bastard had done.

Aelan had told him that his reason to fight had to be more than sheer revenge. Heero had to admit that it was true. His actions had been boorish and illogical, and it was his actions that had set up Juggernaut's attack on New Port City. Kiron had noted that compared to what he had done, Heero's actions were a mere piffle, but that hadn't helped much.

"Heero, I heard about what happened in New Port City." Relena said approaching his side.

"You must think I'm a fool." Heero answered.

Relena quickly shook her head, "No… that's not true at all."

However, Heero was not going to be consoled, "My actions destroyed an entire city! Millions of innocent lives were snuffed out, because of me!" Heero was in a rant, "Is this the person you want to be the father of your children?"

Relena looked down, at the young boy or girl that was growing as they spoke. She looked back up, and replied, "Yes, I do. As much as you might think so, you are not at all at fault for what had happened in New Port City. To blame yourself for someone else's actions is mere foolishness!"

Heero's head turned in her direction for the first time since she had started talking to him. At that moment, he saw his reason for fighting Calnus. The desire to rip the Edenite general limb from limb was still there, but he realized that Calnus had nearly robbed him of everything Heero had held dear, and that Calnus could not be permitted to do that to anyone else.

He embraced Relena suddenly, and she initially stiffened, but almost immediately melted, hugging him back. "Don't worry, Relena. Calnus isn't going to hurt anyone ever again, I can just feel it."

__

The following day…

When the alarms blared, every member of the North Am Elite Unit knew exactly who was responsible for the alert. Aelan had quickly called off the rest of the North Am military. They wouldn't be of much help, and would just get a lot of people killed. Right now, there was only a handful of people who could stop the Edenite general.

That handful emerged from the hangars, and quickly made all due haste to engage Juggernaut before it reached any large populated area. Once again, they met the enormous mobile suit on the Atlantic coastline.

Calnus obviously had not improved his mood since he had been last spotted in New Port City. He instantly went on the attack, and after the elite unit dodged the maneuver, Calnus was quick to taunt, "Aelan Marcus. It's nice to see you. Are you going to fulfill my demands, or are more going to have to die?"

From inside Commadore, Aelan seethed with an unnatural hate. Glaring at Juggernaut, Aelan replied, "Commadore, engage Eternal System."

Kiron nodded, hearing the transmission from his position in Aelan's office. Relena was there as well, but only Kiron knew just what it meant.

"So that's how he utilized the technology." Kiron muttered, "He created a mobile suit system."

"What do you mean?" Relena asked, unexplainably worried.

Kiron looked down, and said, "Aelan and I discovered how Calnus achieved his incredible abilities. Aelan decided that it might be necessary to utilize similar abilities to be able to defeat Calnus. However, such a plan is dangerous. I hope to whatever god you pray to that he can control what he just unleashed."

At that moment, Aelan medical data recorded started to bleep and scream. Pulling out the small device, Kiron muttered, "This is… NOT GOOD! It was just as I had feared, he can't control the surge, just like everyone else who has ever utilized this terror."

__

Meanwhile…

Duo laughed, "No one else is going to die here, Calnus, other than you!" Looking over at his comrades, he asked, "Are we all ready? If so, let's give this Edenite what for!"

"NO!" Aelan shouted from the new Commadore. "STAY BACK!"

"What?" Duo asked.

"I will take care of Calnus myself!" Aelan then thrust forward, flying at full speed straight at Juggernaut.

The Edenite general laughed, then mocked, "I don't see why you added another matter cannon. It's merely wasted against me!"

Commadore ignited its beam sabers, and Aelan retorted, "I won't give you the pleasure of such a quick and painless death!" At that moment, there was a sudden ripple in the very fabric of the space between the two suits. Commadore hit the ripple, and disappeared.

When Juggernaut's sensor array finally picked up Aelan's suit, it was too late. Aelan thrust his beam saber into Juggernaut's back panels, puncturing the Durium plating.

Noin watched in awe, then muttered, "That's a new trick…"

Hilde added, "He must have installed a miniature Fold Generator like the one in Phantom here."

Calnus pulled Juggernaut away from Aelan's surprise attack, and was just able to turn around in time to block another incredible slash from Commadore's beam sabers. At that moment, Calnus was able to see clearly what Aelan had done, "I must say, you are a true Edenite. Welcome to my world. I can feel your rage and anger, your lust for my blood. The same things that I feel towards you! This is the way it truly should be!"

Aelan was unconcerned; all he wanted was to kill Calnus. "I care little for your SYMPATHIES!" Aelan broke away from the grapple, but quickly followed with a pair of slashes. Juggernaut was able to block one slash, but the other cut a deep swath in Juggernaut's leg panels.

And the battle only became more one-sided. Each attack from the beam sabers cut deeper into the armoring of Juggernaut. Finally, one slash cut through, severing the massive suit's left arm.

As the arm fell to the ground below, the rest of the Elite Unit could only watch in disbelief. Aelan held no quarter against his rapidly losing foe, slicing through the giant suit with thrusts and slashes. One attack cut through the neckpiece, sending sparks before finally giving in to pressure, and having the head fall off. From there, another deep thrust embedded itself deep in Juggernaut's chest panels, and slicing upward, splitting the metal. Noin could swear that she could see Calnus exposed to the air after that last attack.

Commadore then grabbed Juggernaut, and Aelan could hear Calnus's last words, "Now… you are ready…"

Not even bothering to respond, Aelan drove Calnus's battered suit into the earth below, embedding it halfway into the ground. Obviously, the rest of his allies had followed him, for Noin shouted at him, "Aelan! That's enough!"

"NO!" Aelan screamed in response, "IT IS NEVER ENOUGH!" He brought Commadore's fist into the chest cavity of Juggernaut.

Noin once again watched helplessly as a deafening explosion rocked the vicinity. As the smoke started to clear, the North Am Elite Unit watched Commadore slowly get to its feet, and approached them slowly.

Aelan muttered, "Is that IT? I was just getting into the mood!" Suddenly, he pulled one of his matter cannons onto his arm, pointing it at Deathscythe Hell. "Duo! I've heard you wonder about how your Gundam would match up against Commadore. Here's your chance!"

Duo was blown away. "What the hell are you doing, Aelan?"

Aelan was adamant, "FIGHT ME YOU DAMN FOOL!"

"Are you nuts?"

With a scream of rage, Aelan turned his attention to Sandrock, "What about you, Quatre? It's your choice. You either die now, or you die fighting!"

"What on Earth is Aelan doing?" Relena asked in shock.

Kiron dropped his head, and answered, "It's exactly what I feared. The Eternal System has driven him to a berserker rage. He can't control the raging hormones and chemicals that are bombarding his body and mind."

Relena watched breathlessly as Aelan pointed the matter cannon at Heavyarms. However, he still didn't make any moves to attack, as if something was holding him back…

Suddenly, Relena pushed Kiron to the side, and said, "Sorry, Kiron, but I've finally figured it out!"

"Figured what out?"

Not answering, Relena activated the comm to broadcast on all channels…

Heero watched as Aelan pointed the deadly matter cannon at Altron now. At the moment, the other pilots were merely in shock, and they couldn't react like they should. But if Aelan turned Commadore's weapons HIS way, there was going to be one hell of a rumble.

"No one attack!" Relena screamed over the comm, "Aelan is under the influence of what he calls the Eternal System. He's simply not himself!"

Wufei then snapped back, "I would never have noticed that. Thank you, Relena."

"We might not have much of a choice, Relena." Heero answered.

"Think about it!" Relena said, "Remember Calnus? He had all that rage as well, but he could never intentionally harm a woman, right Duo?"

"Yeah…" Duo replied, not sure what Relena was getting at.

"He might have been under the influence of the powerful control of the Eternal System, but he COULD control it! That's why Aelan isn't attacking you right now! He'd never instigate a fight! That's why he wants all of you to start one!"

"SHUT UP!" Aelan hollered, and Commadore's matter cannon suddenly pointed in between Cygnus and Altron, towards the Advisor Offices. "How about you, Heero? This thing's got some pretty good range! Are you going to risk losing Relena again, and your child?"

Heero started to move, but Relena chided, "Stay your ground, Heero. He won't harm me!"

Commadore's arm holding the cannon started to tremble, like Aelan was having a hard time keeping it level. "Come on… fight me! DAMN YOU… FIGHT ME!"

Heero shook his head, "You yourself said that I should only fight for a proper cause, Aelan. You should follow your same advice. This battle would be meaningless."

Then without warning, the matter cannon fell to the ground, and Commadore dropped to its knees. The entire mobile suit started shaking, as if it was having one massive seizure. Finally, it fell forward, face first into the ground, unmoving and lifeless…

__

Next Time…

With Calnus dead, Ventrali unveils a new plan to exact his revenge on those who had wronged him. Meanwhile, with Aelan recovering from the battle against Juggernaut, another alien suit arrives in North Am, claiming to be Aelan's dead wife, Yeara. In curiosity, Noin leaves to confront the strange new visitor.

Coming in Episode 20: The Monster Called Jealousy


	8. Episode 20: The Monster called Jealousy

**Episode 20: The Monster Called Jealousy**

With the development of the Eternal System, the terror of General Calnus was finally abated, but at what cost? Advisor Aelan Marcus, unable to control the immense power granted by the Eternal System, has lapsed into a comatose state.

While the Earth continues on its path of peace, the North Am Elite Unit waits anxiously for Ventrali Gorrs next move…

"What are we going to do now that Calnus has been eliminated?" A woman's voice queried, "He was a major factor in our plans for revenge."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, my friend." Ventrali Gorrs smirked, "Sometimes the best ideas just happen all on their own."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at."

"Aelan has obviously used the technology from Project Eternal. It is the only logical assumption for his violent outburst against Juggernaut."

"What is going through that head of yours, Ventrali?"

"Unlike you, where I intentionally lowered the effects, Aelan has most likely utilized the full brunt of the Eternal technology. It makes him very unstable. Just the right push could cause him to totally snap."

"And with the power of that suit of his…"

"He'd completely obliterate my brother, himself, and the whole goddamn Earth. Then, I can finally be at peace."

"Question. How do we get him to…"

"Snap? That's where you come in. We'll put him in a position in which he HAS to use the Eternal technology. Then, we give him plenty of reason to keep fighting."

"I see. Very well, I shall do as you request."

"Thank you… Yeara."

_St. John Paul Memorial Hospital, New Richmond_

Noin stepped inside the infirmary wards, and directly to room 212. She knocked on the door gently, and heard Kiron gently mutter for her to enter. Noin gently pushed the door open, and looked inside before entering.

Aelan Marcus, a man who had always seemed full of life, was lying motionless on the bed, his body up to his chest covered in a thin blue blanket. Unlike Relena, there wasn't any of the grotesque tubes connected to him. Kiron was on his left side, closely monitoring any changes in Aelan's biorhythm. And on his right side, sitting in a chair was… Lady Une?

Noin looked in her direction, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The Preventer looked over at Noin, and answered, "When I had heard what had happened, I came to North Am as soon as I can." She then turned her head back in Aelan's direction, and said, "Now I know how Trieze must have felt when I came in like this."

"Is there something going on here that I don't know about?" Noin questioned, "I mean, Aelan's not…"

Une chuckled slightly, and retorted, "No, that's not exactly what I meant. I'm just saying that I understand, that is all…"

"Whatever." Noin answered distractedly, almost forgetting why she had come. She turned to Kiron and asked, "Any change?"

Kiron shook his head, "None, neither for the better or the worse. I'd almost go for anything right now. I mean, I can at least try to do SOMETHING if his condition worsens."

"That's all I wanted to know. I really wish I could stay longer, but I really need to get back to the offices." Noin admitted sadly, "I was volunteered to take over some of Aelan's duties… pure joy."

_Offices of the Advisor_

Aelan's secretary met Noin at the entrance to Aelan's office. "The Congressional Body called a few minutes ago, wondering why you haven't looked over the bill that was submitted yesterday."

Noin gritted her teeth, and hissed, "I am only human, trying to operate an army AND a region. I will get to it when I am able."

"Yes, Admiral." The secretary said sweetly, and trotted back to her desk in the reception area.

Trowa then walked by, and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Noin grabbed him by the collar, and she wailed, "You've got to get me out of here! I can't take it anymore! Blow up a building or something! Do something to get me out of this hole!"

Without a hint of a smile, Trowa replied, "They would not have chosen you to do this if they didn't think you were capable. Do you want to admit you are not as capable as they believe you are?"

"No…" Noin admitted, and she released the sad-looking pilot. "It's just all the inane crap that this beauracracy throws at the Advisor. How does Aelan put up with it?"

"Most likely the same way you shall. With grit and determination."

Noin entered Aelan's office, and turned on his terminal. As she waited for the terminal to load the network information, she did indeed look over the bill that the Congressional Body was in a snit about.

Part of the problem she was having was trying to decide how Aelan would answer these bills. She was quite sure that when Aelan returned that the Congressional Body would just send all the bills again, hoping that he'd overturn Noin's decisions. He probably would too…

Suddenly, Aelan's terminal beeped, drawing her attention to the screen. On the monitor, a small window opened up, with a channel prompt reading:

_Are you there, Aelan?_

Noin licked her upper lip, and deciding not to leave the poor person on the other end hanging, she typed in:

_**I'm sorry, but Aelan is not here at the moment.**_

**Do you know when he'll be back? It's very important.**

_**I'm sorry, but I can't say for sure.**_

**If you are trying to cover for him after that run-in with Calnus, don't worry, I already know that he's recovering. How long will he be?**

_**I see… well, once again, I'm not sure.**_

**I hope you don't mind if I ask, but who exactly are you?**

_**I am Chief Admiral Lucrezia Noin. I am taking over Aelan's duties for the time being.**_

**Admiral Noin! Well, you do just as well. I need to talk to you as soon as possible. Ventrali thinks that I'm working for him, but I can't bear to see him harm Aelan.**

_**And who may you be?**_

**My name is Yeara Marcus. Aelan might have said something about me.**

_**Yeara Marcus is dead. Who are you really?**_

**Let me assure you, I'm not dead. Ventrali brought me back with what he calls Project Eternal. He's totally lost his mind, and wants to destroy everything that was associated with the fall of Eden. He was the one that revived General Calnus, and used him to try and destroy Aelan, Kiron, and the entire Earth.**

_**Suppose I believe you. When and where do you want to meet me?**_

**I'll be waiting at the North Magnetic Pole in three hours. Ventrali's little probes won't be able to keep track of me there.**

_**Can I bring some friends along? They might want to hear the story.**_

**I wouldn't recommend it. Ventrali might get suspicious if several suits left North Am all at once.**

_**I suppose you're right… but why should I trust you?**_

**I never said you HAD to meet with me, it's not like I'm holding a gun to anybody's head here. Just if you want to know what Ventrali is planning, you have to meet me. I can't risk coming to you.**

At that point, the communication ended. Noin sighed, and looked at the door to the reception area, and then to the side offices where the Gundam pilots were busy doing research. She wondered if she should have them at least on stand-by.

"Why should I even trust this person who says she's Yeara? Ventrali was working on Project Eternal, but it failed. Could he have succeeded? Finally, she stepped into the side offices, and noticed Trowa as the lone pilot in the side office.

She was about to call out to him, but decided that it would probably be best not to explain that she was going out to meet a potentially dangerous person with no backup.

_Magnetic North, Northern Canadian Territories…_

As Noin, in Cygnus, approached the Magnetic North, she noticed her sensor arrays starting to flicker. Soon, over half of her sensor bands were completely off-line. 'A perfect place to hide.' Noin noted to herself, 'Or to hide things.'

About thirty kilometers ahead, Noin noticed a speck that was getting increasingly larger. Another golden mobile suit, with green panels, slowly became visible. It must be the person who claimed to be Yeara Marcus.

"Are you Admiral Noin?" The woman in the green suit asked.

"I might be. It depends on how you died." Noin replied questioningly.

"I suppose you're checking to make sure I am who I say I am." The woman on the other end chuckled. "I'll be quite honest when I say I'm not sure. I assume that something from the ceiling fell on me. I was to busy kissing the floor from beneath a beam that collapsed to look up."

Noin nodded, and her story seemed to fit as Aelan described it. "So what do you want to talk to me about? I want to check if Aelan is all right, so I can't stay long."

_Somewhere unknown…_

"You may think that I can't figure out what's going on, Yeara, but trust me, I can tell quite easily. Just in case you are having second thoughts, let's just up the dosage…" Ventrali then adjusted a small knob on his control console, and waited.

_Back at Magnetic North…_

"What has happened to Aelan…?" Yeara asked softly, then Noin noticed a sudden change. Her suit started to tremble slightly, much like Aelan's had before he collapsed…

"Yeara, is everything all right?"

The shaking stopped, but Yeara definitely was not all right, "And why are YOU visiting him?"

"Pardon?" Noin asked, confused.

"Do you think that you can just waltz in on my husband to see if he's all RIGHT? What sort of slut do you think you are?"

Noin was totally taken aback, "Aelan is a good friend of mine… He's the one who gave me the position I have…"

"A GOOD FRIEND, HUH? I'll just BET that you didn't want to GIVE him anything in return, RIGHT?"

Noin had seen enough of Calnus and Aelan to figure out what was going on. "It is all that crap from Project Eternal. You, or someone else, are making you lose control of yourself. You have to focus, Yeara!"

"I DON'T NEED TO FOCUS! I JUST WANT TO KILL YOU… YOU… LITTLE SLUT!"

Noin barely had time to dodge the attack from Yeara's mobile suit. Noin had the terrible feeling that she would be incapable of fighting this enhanced suit alone, but at the same time, would have to go several kilometers before she'd be far enough from the magnetic center so a transmission could be effective. Either way, she could quite possibly be dead before she could do anything of consequence…

_Back in New Richmond…_

"Trowa!" Hilde shouted to the pilot as he passed the steps to the hangar bay.

"What is it, Hilde?" Trowa asked almost coldly.

"Have you been around all this time?"

"Yes, since you and Duo left on your little picnic."

Hilde looked around the hall, then asked, "Did you notice anyone suspicious around the hangars?"

"No… why?"

"Because Phantom is missing, and none of the tech crews claims to have taken it. Yet, just a half-hour ago, according to the computers, it was launched from the hangar…"

Kiron was jolted from his daydream to notice a spike in Aelan's neural activity. Soon, the jolts became more and more common, and after fifteen minutes, had leveled out totally. Aelan's life signs followed, returning to normal. Too bad Une had left a few hours ago. She wanted to be here when he woke up

Kiron smiled as the Advisor opened his eyes and said, "What happened?"

"It's a long story." Kiron replied, "How much do you remember?"

"Up until I collapsed." Aelan admitted, "That Eternal System was way beyond what I expected. My mind simply wasn't prepared for it."

Kiron smirked, and answered, "Neither was your body. You collapsed of physical and neural exhaustion."

"Remind me never to do that again."

"Never do that again."

Aelan gave a wry smile, and said, "Thanks…"

At that moment, Kiron's comm unit beeped. "Can I be of service? Yes, Trowa, he just woke up… Oh dear… all right… are you sure? Okay… I'll tell him." He put the comm back in his pocket, and replied, "That was Trowa. Someone has stolen Phantom."

Aelan rubbed his head, still throbbing somewhat, "Wonderful…"

"That's not all." Kiron warned, "Supposedly, Cygnus is gone as well. Noin left in such a hurry that she forgot to turn off your terminal. She went to the Magnetic North Pole, meeting with someone who claims to be Yeara Marcus."

_Next Time:_

_Aelan rushes back to action, hoping to meet the woman who says she is Aelan's dead wife. Meanwhile, Noin is stuck in a hopeless battle against the same woman, when Phantom arrives. But if Hilde isn't piloting it, who is? When Aelan finally arrives in Commadore Eternal, the woman known as Yeara springs her trap. With reinforcements too far away to be of any use, Aelan is forced to use the Eternal System once again…_

_Coming in __Episode 21: The Beginning of the End_


	9. Episode 21: The Beginning of the End

****

Episode 21: The Beginning of the End

With the development of the Eternal System, the terror of General Calnus was finally abated, but at what cost? Advisor Aelan Marcus, unable to control the immense power granted by the Eternal System, has lapsed into a comatose state.

While the Earth continues on its path of peace, the North Am Elite Unit waits anxiously for Ventrali Gorrs next move…

__

Offices of the Advisor, New Richmond

Aelan Marcus rushed into the hangars, with Kiron hot on his heels. In the interim period between Noin's leaving and Aelan's arrival, the rest of the pilots had assembled in the main bay as the Advisor of North Am charged down.

"Who saw the message to Noin?" Aelan demanded. When Trowa raised his hand slightly, Aelan then asked, "Where did she go again?"

"To Magnetic North."

"Aelan!" Hilde shouted, "Someone stole Phantom!"

"One dilemma at a time, Hilde." Aelan said, "Right now, we've got to find out what is going on up north." From there, Aelan rushed over to the hangar where Commadore Eternal stood.

Kiron watched Aelan board the lift leading to Commadore's cockpit, and quickly rushed to negate Aelan's idea. "Are you daft, Aelan? You just woke up, and you want to fly that… monster… again?"

"I need to see who this woman who claims to be Yeara is." Aelan replied simply as the lift reached the top, "The Fold Generator on Commadore Eternal should be able to get me there within a half-hour."

"Your body chemistry still hasn't returned to its normal levels. If you fly that thing into battle again, the Eternal System could kill you! And even if it doesn't, you'll lose focus again, and probably wind up hurting everyone you're trying to find!"

Aelan then stuck his head out of the cockpit, and responded, "I don't intend to utilize the Eternal System. I know now that it is something beyond mortal control. I would simply uninstall it, but I don't have the time right now." Once again, Aelan disappeared into the cockpit, and the panels closed around him.

Kiron watched in dismay as the hangar doors opened, and Commadore Eternal shot upward in a golden streak. As he turned around to face the Gundam pilots, Heero said, "We should bring our Gundams to standby, at least. I have a terrible feeling that Aelan might need our assistance."

__

Magnetic North…

When Yeara's golden suit grabbed Cygnus for what would definitely be the final time, Noin had figured it would have been inevitable. There was simply no way that Noin was going to be able to defeat someone under the power of the Eternal System, especially alone.

"YOU LITTLE WHORE!" Yeara screamed, "How many times did you proposition my husband?"

Noin was about to answer indignantly, but then remembered the party for Aelan re-election campaign, and how she had acted then. "Yes, I do care for Aelan, and maybe a bit more than friendship should allow. But I can't, and he is still totally devoted to you. He rejected me! I can't… I WON'T… compete with that!"

"SO YOU ADMIT IT!" Yeara bellowed, and was about to go for the killing blow. Suddenly a ripple in space formed, a fold was being generated. From out of it, appeared Hilde's Phantom. Phantom collided with Yeara's suit, knocking Cygnus free, and the pair tangled for about half a kilometer.

Noin sighed in relief, and waited for Hilde to communicate. However, once a voice blared over the comm, Noin instantly knew it wasn't Hilde's…

"That is enough!" An all too familiar voice rasped. Noin's jaw dropped in total disbelief. There was simply no way.

"Miliardo…" Noin gasped.

"Stay back, Noin. I don't think that you're capable of handling this." Miliardo ordered.

"You don't know what you're getting into, Miliardo!" Noin screamed.

"Regardless, I can't let this bitch harm you. Let me try to handle this!" After that, Yeara's mobile suit and Phantom engaged in combat. As the battle progressed, she remembered how good of a pilot Miliardo was. However, no amount of skill was capable of matching Yeara under the influence of the Eternal System.

Eventually, Yeara overwhelmed Miliardo, and sent Phantom plummeting to the ground. With that, Yeara turned back to Cygnus. Noin could barely keep the battered suit airborne, much less counter any sort of attack. But before Yeara could launch any sort of attack, something drew her attention.

Noin followed her sensor array, then saw ANOTHER fold appearing, and out from the fold shot out Commadore Eternal. The golden suit stopped about three kilometers from the pair, scanning the situation.

"Aelan… is that you?" Noin asked. Was he back? And why hadn't she been informed?

Aelan confirmed, "I just woke up from the most pleasant nap to hear that you had left suddenly to meet an old… friend of mine."

"Yeara's under the control of that Project Eternal! Be careful."

"I suspected as much. She was at absolute zero life function when she had been taken out of the rubble. Knowing what I do now, it is not at all unexpected to figure that Ventrali would have continued Project Eternal without his brother's consent. Both of those Gorrs boys seem to have a problem submitting themselves to authority."

"You should thank Ventrali…" Upon Aelan's arrival Yeara seemed to calm slightly, "He's given me another chance. I have so many memories that I want to live again. But it can't happen with THIS WOMAN in the picture!" Yeara then prepared to attack again.

"Yeara… don't do this…" Aelan warned, "You have to fight the control of the Eternal Unit. The Yeara I know would never be so violent."

"You're going to have to make a choice, Aelan!" Yeara shot back, "This can't continue. You either defend that SLUT, or you let me kill her!" Once again, it seemed like Yeara was becoming more violent.

"Like someone is controlling the unit's output." Aelan remarked to himself, looking up at the picture on his sensor array. That was Yeara's face, no doubt about it, but something didn't seem quite right. Eternal Unit or not, Yeara had never wanted to inflict harm upon someone else.

Noin sighed in regret. There was simply no way that Aelan would be able to harm the woman that he had been married to for most of his life. Nor should he be expected to.

Then Aelan spoke again, "Remember when I proposed to you, and the way that my eyes shone with love? Remember how you had reacted when I gave you that bracelet of diamonds?" At the same time, he was sending out a beacon to North Am on one of the few bands that could manage to break through the magnetic field. However, it would take several minutes for the beacon to be decoded. Hopefully, he could hold out that long…

Noin's eyebrow raised at the question. Where did that one come from? Before she could contemplate more, Yeara replied, "Yes. I was… surprised to say the least. And those eyes, such a beautiful unusual color, even for an Edenite. I was smitten. And that diamond… oh god… it shone with the colors of the rainbow. I don't think that there was a better day in my life."

After that, Aelan started to chuckle, and for a moment, Noin thought he had lost it. However, when he spoke again, all sense of mirth had disappeared, all that was left was a seething anger.

"I'm sorry, but it is rather amusing… you see, Yeara HATED the color of my eyes. 'Puke Orange' I believe is the description she used. Also, you might want to check on that bracelet again. It was emerald, not diamond."

Without warning, Commadore Eternal's massive thrusters ignited, knocking into Yeara's suit, and sending it off balance. As Yeara righted herself, one of Commadore's Matter Cannons seemed to materialize on his arm, pointing directly at the green paneled suit. "You may have my wife's body, but you definitely are not the woman I married!"

Noin's jaw dropped at the stunning revelation. Aelan now seemed totally convinced that Yeara was not who she claimed she was. "Aelan, be careful, don't make her mad!"

The woman who called herself Yeara hissed, "Well, I was hoping not to do this until later!" She obviously made some sort of command, because from underneath the ground burst about twenty Edenite suits, their golden panels dulled by being buried. "These are what you could call Edenite Mobile Dolls!"

Aelan looked around at the situation at hand. Twenty Edenite suits programmed with Mobile Doll capabilities, and with Cygnus and Phantom incapacitated to a degree that they might as well be useless.

Looking over at his sensor array, he still had not received a reply from the beacon. This was definitely not what Aelan would consider favorable. "I do have ONE option…" Aelan muttered. The danger was incredible, even if the Eternal System didn't kill him, how could he be able to control the intense physiological bombardment? He never wanted to use that system ever again, but looking at Noin and Miliardo (Aelan had deduced that it HAD to be him), he realized that he couldn't let them die due to his inaction. That tragedy had occurred once before.

It would NOT happen again.

"Commadore… engage Eternal System…"

Noin watched Commadore tremble slightly, and instantly knew what was happening. Aelan had activated the Eternal System, knowing that without it, there was just no way any of the three were leaving alive.

Noin watched in trepidation as Commadore Eternal began the battle with the new form of Mobile Dolls. Noin realized that the Eternal System didn't enhance the pilot's abilities any more than the Zero System. What it DID do was cause the pilot to be so juiced with hormonal strength that they were almost beyond any physical boundaries. Noin watched as Commadore took hit after hit, yet continued unfazed, much like Juggernaut did against the Gundams weeks ago.

As Edenite dolls detonated right and left, Yeara obviously started to get a little concerned. It was evident by the way that she slowly started backing away from the battle, trying to keep Aelan's attention busy with the dolls.

Finally, the last doll exploded in a twisted mass of burning metal, and Commadore Eternal turned in Yeara's direction. In a moment of panic, Yeara trained her plasma rifle on Noin, and shouted, "It's either me, or your little BITCH!"

Aelan didn't even bother to answer; he just trained one of Commadore Eternal's matter cannons on Yeara's suit again. It became evident that Aelan had severly upgraded the weapons effectiveness, as the bluish bolt charged and fired, burning right through Yeara's shielding, all before the Edenite woman could even pull the trigger.

When Commadore Eternal turned in Cygnus's direction, Noin held her breath. She had seen Aelan under the influence of this suit before, and it very nearly hadn't turned out very pretty. She just reminded herself not to do anything that would suggest an aggressive approach. Not that she could do much of anything but stay airborne at the moment.

"Lucrezia, don't worry. I… seem to be much more capable of harnessing the full capabilities of the Eternal System this time around. I'm not fully sure as to why myself." Aelan commented. Upon hearing Aelan's voice, untainted with the rage normally associated with the Eternal technology.

Noin sighed in relief, then asked, "Now what, Aelan?"

"We wait for the others to arrive. It does not appear that the two of you are capable of heading back to North Am under your own power."

__

Offices of the Advisor, New Richmond: A day later…

"The only thing that I can think of is that your previous exposure to the Eternal System somehow caused your body to adapt to its effects. It might also explain why Calnus seemed to be rather well focused, a focused as one can get anyway. After all, all evidence suggests he had the thing implanted since he was very young."

Kiron turned off the bio monitor, and Aelan pulled the small suction cups off his arms. "Regardless, I really must be getting back to work. I'm sorry if I must return to my office."

"No offense taken." Kiron said, motioning for Aelan to leave the small sick bay of the office complex. Aelan took the elevator to the top floor, where his secretary and Admiral Noin were waiting.

"It is so nice to see you in fine health again, sir." His secretary sang sweetly, "The Congressional Body has sent some bills that they would like you to look at. I guess Admiral Noin's decisions weren't too their liking."

Noin sighed. She figured this was going to happen.

Aelan smiled, then replied wryly, "Tell them I fully back Admiral Noin's decisions."

Noin's day suddenly got a whole lot brighter. It was nice to have a friend like Aelan, she decided. Glancing over at Miliardo, who was approaching at top speed (with Hilde right on his heels), she decided that friends is exactly where she wanted it to be. No more… and no less…

Miliardo stepped in front of Aelan, and said approvingly, "That Phantom is a pretty nice suit." To his right side, Hilde was fuming.

"It's Hilde's." Aelan replied simply, "And I expect you to pay fully for the damage you did to it, and for the unauthorized flight you decided to go on."

Hilde huffed triumphantly, and Miliardo was totally blown away. This was not the reception he had been expecting. "I… don't have that kind of money…"

Aelan smirked, "Then perhaps we can reach an agreement on something. Perhaps you can pay me using those incredible skills of yours. Meet me in my office tomorrow. We'll figure out some way to reimburse North Am for your actions."

Aelan then walked into his office, and closed the door. Hilde skipped away happily, content that justice had been served. Meanwhile the Gundam Pilots took interest in the sure conversation between Miliardo and Noin, and Duo stealthily snuck out of the side offices to get a closer look.

Milardo then ran his hand through the back of his long hair, and sheepishly said, "I guess that means that we'll be working together again for a while, huh Noin?"

"Yes, I suppose it does." Noin answered quietly.

"Noin… Can I…"

Noin then turned away from Miliardo, and threw up her hand, saying blandly, "I have much work to do. If what you have to say is not involved with the current mission, I suggest you save it for later."

Now Miliardo wasn't even sure that he was on the right planet. Noin then approached Aelan's office, and knocked on the door, when it opened, she walked right in, not even looking back.

All of a sudden, Miliardo felt Duo tap him on the shoulder. As the tall Peacecraft turned to face Duo, Duo quipped, "Do you have a coat? It seems to have gotten a little chilly out here…"

Duo then walked back over to the side offices, laughing. Glancing in their direction, he noticed that even Heero was chuckling. Normally, Miliardo would have went for blood, but he was simply in too much shock to do anything.

Noin shut the door and chuckled, "Well, that was rather fun. I think I'll keep Miliardo hanging just for a little while longer. Perhaps you can help me."

Aelan dropped his jaw in disgust, "I will not be an accessory in the mental torment of that man, but… I won't exactly interfere, either."

As they began to laugh together, a familiar beeping came from Aelan's terminal. Noin quickly recognized it as a transmission from an Edenite. Aelan quickly activated the window, his eyes scanning the text.

Noin couldn't understand a word of it, being completely in Eden's native tongue. Finally she asked, "What's it say?"

"It's Ventrali." Aelan answered, "He's challenging me to one final battle."

__

Next Time…

As Aelan prepares to leave for his final confrontation with Ventrali Gorrs, Kiron makes an odd request. Once the battle begins, Ventrali brings out one final surprise, that he too has discovered the secret of the Eternal System…

Coming in Episode 22: Family Ties


	10. Episode 22: Family Ties

****

Episode 22: Family Ties

Ventrali Gorrs, the mastermind behind Project Eternal, and the man responsible for the recent acts of violence, has finally decided to emerge from hiding, and confront his enemies head on.

However, the North Am Elite Unit has learned that Ventrali always has a trick or two up his sleeve, and now they prepare for any contingency…

__

Offices of the Advisor, New Richmond

"Phantom and Deathscythe have sensory cloaking devices. At Magnetic North they would be virtually invisible, even to Ventrali's enhanced sensory units." Miliardo mentioned, "With a little work, they'd be perfect just in case Ventrali has an ace in the hole. Get on it right away."

Hilde and Duo didn't move, merely staring blankly at the man once known as the "Lightning Count". There was an eerie silence in the side offices, and it didn't help Miliardo's already jumbled nerves.

Aelan then looked up, and with an amused look on his face, he noted, "You do realize that you are in no position of authority. You would do well to note that the North Am Elite Unit already has a leader…"

"I meant no disrepect." Miliardo replied to Aelan, trying to salvage the situation.

"…Admiral Noin." Aelan finished, the smile still firmly plastered on his face, "Any orders go through her. I merely supervise this unit."

Looking at Noin, she didn't even seem to notice him, however, she did somewhat acknowledge his existence. "That is a good plan. We should be prepared for anything. Hilde, Duo, have your suits prepped."

__

Two hours later…

"Have the details of the meeting been made?" Kiron asked.

Aelan looked up from his terminal, and stated, "Yes… Ventrali just sent them. We are to meet at Magnetic North at 23:00 hours. Obviously, he wants to use the cover of darkness for something."

"I see…" Kiron said sheepishly, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"I suppose."

"Can I borrow Commadore Eternal?" Kiron asked, "I want to confront my brother myself. Can you understand that this is something I must do?"

Aelan's eyes narrowed, and replied, "Now, explain to me why I would do such a thing? You want me to give you, a man with a history of brutality, access to one of the most devastating units ever to grace this galaxy?"

"I don't deny that I've done some incredibly evil deeds. But I need a chance to atone somewhat for what I've done. I am sure that Ventrali can see reason, but he needs to hear it from me. Don't you think that if there is a way to solve this dilemma WITHOUT it going to the death, that you should pursue it?"

"And you need Commadore Eternal to do that… how?"

"Just in case."

"You do realize the danger with using Commadore? I haven't gotten to removing the Eternal System from it. I could probably convince Noin to let you borrow Cygnus."

Kiron declined, "Ventrali will be expecting you, in Commadore Eternal. If he sees a different suit, he'll probably freak out, and we'll have lost our chance. Aelan, I know that you have a hard time trusting me…"

"A hard time is an understatement." Aelan replied, although he had to admit that his distrust of Kiron had quelled somewhat as of late.

"I'm begging you. Please… let me do this."

Aelan's eyes narrowed again. Kiron had never been one to plead. In the past, he would never have begged, even if it would have gotten him his way. He had been too proud, which is why his sudden request took Aelan so off guard.

"You do appear to be a different person, Kiron." Aelan finally relented, "And you do make some good points. Very well, I'll have Commadore Eternal prepped for your departure."

"What is that?" Noin asked as Aelan poured a small vial into the air filtration unit of Commadore Eternal.

"Trius Yadorphine." Aelan replied calmly as he emptied the entire vial.

Miliardo had sworn that he had heard of that chemical somewhere before. Then he remembered his slavery on Eden. "That's the shit that Kiron used on me and the people of Hell!"

"Exactly." Aelan answered sternly, "I may have let Kiron borrow this suit, but I'll be damned if I'm not prepared for every contingency."

After replacing the filtration unit, Aelan turned to Duo, and handed him an all too familiar black box. "If Kiron does anything even remotely suspicious, I want you to activate that device. What you do afterward is your decision, but the primary goal is to eliminate Ventrali."

Aelan then glanced at Noin, and said, "Any problems with that?"

When Noin shook her head, Aelan then turned back to Duo, and added, "Whatever you do, do NOT have Kiron activate the Eternal System, especially if you have to use the black box. I have no idea what effect all of those chemicals will do."

"Understood." Duo confirmed grimly.

"If things do go haywire, I will have all the other suits on standby. It will then be your duty to simply stay alive until your allies can arrive. I'll have Amore ready to generate a fold to your position for quickest response. There are five hours until meeting time. You and Hilde should depart now."

Hilde and Duo nodded in agreement, then left for their suits. As the pair launched out of the hangar, Noin looked at Aelan, and asked, "Are you really willing to use that mind-control drug?"

"If I have to." Aelan retorted, "I was fooled by Kiron once. I will NOT be fooled again."

__

Magnetic North, 23:00 hours…

Ventrali waited patiently for Aelan to arrive. In mere moments, he would be able to be at peace. Regardless of whether he died, or Aelan and this whole disgusting planet was destroyed was irrelevant. Ventrali would finally be at peace.

His sensors were severely limited due to magnetic north, but so would Aelan's. He'd never detect Ventrali's little surprise until it was too late. By studying what Aelan had done with his suit Commadore, he had been able to discern how Aelan created the Eternal System.

Granted, Ventrali knew the consequences of his actions. He would most likely lose total control of himself, just like everyone who had ever initially used the system. However, Ventrali wasn't worried. He didn't have anything beyond this point to concern himself with. All that mattered was victory here and now.

His sensor array finally picked up on an approaching suit, its Durium armoring coupled with its size was a dead giveaway. Aelan had shown up after all. Commadore Eternal's Durium panels gleamed in the light of the full moon as it jerked to a sudden stop approximately 100 meters from Ventrali's position.

"You came, Aelan." Ventrali hissed.

A different voice greeted him, "Not exactly, Vent."

Duo listened intently on the developing conversation, his finger never straying too far from the small red button attached to that little black box. Aelan had told him that he might need to use it at a moment's notice. Under NO circumstance would Kiron be allowed to play turncoat.

At the same time, Hilde was streaming the conversation via beacon to North Am. That way they could hear what was going on just in case things got weird, even though there was a few minutes delay.

"I was expecting Aelan, but you'll do just as well." Ventrali seethed.

"I don't doubt it, and I am not going to stop you. I just want to know why you're doing this." Kiron answered.

Ventrali started to laugh, "You of all people want to know why?" Ventrali soon was spitting venom, "Have you SEEN Eden recently? Do you realize what you and Aelan have done to the place?"

"No, I haven't." Kiron admitted, "But, why are you distancing yourself, Ventrali? You were just as involved in the plans we had as I was. When it became apparent that Aelan would try to retaliate, you yourself designed that giant neutron cannon! How can you say that it was Aelan and I?"

"I was just being the good little brother, as I always have!" Ventrali snapped, "Do you think that I wanted Eden to turn into a smoldering rubble?"

"Do you think that I did, or Aelan did? Not even I wanted to destroy Eden, but that is what happened. And regardless, why drag the people of Earth into this?"

"Because they willingly followed Aelan into the destruction of our home!" Ventrali shouted, "They mercilessly butchered our kind, and left Eden a mess!"

"We didn't leave them with much choice, Ventrali. If you recall, we were going to do the same to them in time."

"NO! YOU WERE GOING TO DO THAT TO THEM! NOT I! I WAS A PAWN IN YOUR LITTLE GAME! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE!"

Finally, it appeared that Kiron had just about enough, "Where are you getting this rubbish? Of course you were responsible. It's just like you, Ventrali. Just like when we were younger, we'd get into trouble, and then you'd always say that I led you into it. It's time to grow up, Ventrali!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Ventrali screamed, "You made sure that I didn't. It was either your way, or…"

"Maybe that was true… I don't deny that I made it hard for anyone to do anything but what I wanted. However, the final choice was YOURS!"

"Then what? If I had challenged you ideals, then I would have been killed!"

"If you were so scared of death that you were willing to compromise your ideals, then you deserved to be used." Kiron shot back, "Now I see, Ventrali. You are nothing but a weak-willed coward."

Kiron snarled, "Even I was willing to die for what I had desired. As I recall, it was YOU who gave me these cybernetic legs, and told me not to give up! How can the man who was willing to support me, even when things seemed lost, supposedly be railing against everything I stood for?"

Ventrali was silent. Something about his entire argument seemed wrong, even to him. He had never bothered to question his motives, until now. Why was he doing this?

_Don't let your brother confuse you, Ventrali…_

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" Ventrali snapped.

_Your mission is to destroy Aelan, Kiron, and the whole Earth. You must not let Kiron confuse you. It is up to you. Make us proud, Ventrali. Make all of Eden proud. Kill the monsters that would kill us!_

"Very well. I will trust in you." Ventrali sighed, gathering his wits. Finally, he addressed his brother once again. "I'm not sure if this is what I should do, Kiron, but for all of Eden, I will kill you!"

Ventrali then said, "You see, I realize the potential in that suit you are flying, Kiron. I also have discovered how to utilize the Eternal System. With this, I can destroy all that destroyed my home!"

__

New Richmond…

The assembly from North Am grew grimly silent as the latest transmissions from Hilde's data feed came through via the beacon.

"…You see, I realize the potential in that suit you are flying, Kiron. I also have discovered how to utilize the Eternal System. With this, I can destroy all that destroyed my home!…"

"SHIT!" Wufei snarled. "We need to get over there… If Kiron has indeed figured out how to use the Eternal System…"

"I totally agree, Wufei." Aelan answered, but it was Noin who gave the order.

"Pilots, let's scramble!" Noin shouted, and the Gundam Pilots quickly rushed to the hangars. As Noin was about to follow them, Aelan said, "Noin, I would like to borrow Cygnus."

"Why?" Noin asked.

Aelan then pulled out small set of system disks from out behind his desk. It didn't take Noin very long to figure out what they were.

"If we are fighting an enemy with the Eternal System, it's only more than fair to use the same."

Miliardo followed Noin and Aelan down to the hangars, just in time to see the four remaining Gundams launch, then follow the heading to where Amore was most likely forming a quantum fold to Magnetic North.

Aelan pulled out the system module for Cygnus, and began switching disks at an inhuman rate. Miliardo merely gaped, even Noin, who said seen the speed and efficiency in which Aelan worked before, was astonished. The first time had been through the eyes of a sonic camera, to see it first hand was quite a different experience.

Not even thirty seconds had passed when Aelan finally pushed the system module back into place, and leaned back in Cygnus's cockpit. Noin and Miliardo rode the lift to floor level, then stood clear as Cygnus took off, following the Gundams to the fold site.

Noin smiled wryly, then said, "Sure, Aelan… go ahead…"

Duo looked at the rapidly disintegrating situation. As of yet, Ventrali had not seemed to notice Phantom and Deathscythe Hell, however, that could rapidly change. Duo was weighing the options very quickly. "Should I stay in cover, and let Kiron take the flak, or do I make a move now?"

Hilde obviously decided that she wasn't going to deliberate any more on the topic. Phantom quickly dropped its cloaking devices, and went on the attack. Ventrali seemed to respond to the sudden appearance of another mobile suit far too quickly, bringing his weapons to bear on Phantom.

The black suit continued its charge, and Duo was in a panic. Finally, Ventrali fired his beam cannons just as Hilde was at point-blank range. However, the laser blasts merely seemed to wrap around Phantom, and Hilde's suit continued its charge at full speed. The two suits collided, Phantom clenching hold of Ventrali's suit in a death grip.

Then Duo remembered Phantom's Mirror shield, and quickly figured out what she was planning to do, drain all the energy from Ventrali's suit, and render the unit inoperative.

Unfortunately, Ventrali seemed to catch on just as quickly. Generating as much energy as he could into one blast, he fired his beam cannons once again. It didn't effect Phantom at all, once again, the high energy beam merely wrapped around the polarized panels of the suit, but the recoil from the shot cleared Ventrali's suit from Hilde's grasp.

When Hilde didn't try to follow, Duo realized the horrible truth. She had used the mirror shield too long, and it was having a devastating effect on her suit, with barely the energy required to maintain its basic systems.

Ventrali was drained too, but obviously not to the same degree as Phantom. "You little bitch! Think you can trick me?" Ventrali once again raised his beam cannon, for one more shot.

Duo realized that he had waited too long, he'd never get to Hilde's position in time. Ventrali fired a rather weak blast, but it would have been more than enough to finish off Phantom, at least if it hadn't been for Commadore Eternal suddenly stepping into the path of the blast. The shot didn't even singe the golden panels.

Duo took the opportunity to sneak closer to Ventrali's suit. Duo charged in quickly, unsure of how sensitive the sensors were as Deathscythe Hell got closer. Suddenly dropping his cloaking units mere meters from his target so as to utilize the full offensive power of Deathscythe's weapons, Duo took a vicious slash with his twin scythe. The blow didn't do any serious structural damage, but it became incredibly evident that Hilde's attack had done some serious work on Ventrali's internal systems, as the stabilizers failed, sending Ventrali's suit into a wicked spin.

By the time Ventrali stabilized his suit, and took note of the dismally low energy supply he had available, he noticed his situation get even worse. Several more suits appeared from out of nowhere. He instantly recognized them as other suits from the North Am Elite Unit.

"Nice of you to show up now!" Kiron chuckled, "We've got it all under control. However, someone better come over here and take care of Phantom. She's a little low on juice."

Ventrali seethed. He hadn't even been able to take out ONE of North Am's units. After all that Calnus had done, he had let his cockiness underestimate the wiliness of these humans.

From there, he heard Aelan's voice over his comm. "You mean to tell me I switched the system cards on Cygnus here for nothing? I guess I need to have more confidence in your abilities."

Kiron then spoke to Ventrali directly, "I think that this little fight is over. To continue would be pointless. I just want to know one thing. You said earlier that you weren't sure that this is what you wanted to do. If so, why'd you do it?"

Ventrali gave up. Kiron was right, there was no point to continue this charade. It had been stupid to begin with. No longer was he going to let someone else decide his actions...

_NO! I cannot let you expose me! Not yet…_

"I hold all the cards here!" Ventrali snarled, "To stop me, you'll have to expose yourself anyway!"

_Damn you, Ventrali! Why did you have to choose now to get a backbone?_

There was a sudden sparkle in the night sky above, and the North Am Elite Unit looked up as a brilliant beam of energy cascaded down from above, totally engulfing Kiron's mobile suit. The Durium panels melted, then vaporized, and when all was said and done, there was nothing but an ashen wisp where Ventrali Gorrs once stood.

There was silence for several minutes before Kiron finally asked, "What in heaven's glory was that?"

He had really expected an answer, but Aelan finally did, "I have no idea, but I have a feeling that we will soon find out…"

****

The End (for now…)

_Well, that does it for this round of episodes, although ending it this way pretty much insures that some more will be in the works. As always, I want to thank the guinea pigs that have so willingly put their sanity on the line trying to interpret what I initially write. It's gotten somewhat larger, but I AM going to list them all._

To: apol_pie, astronomygirl18, balora99, huntress_hawk, shin_okami, shingamizero, TheRendy, and TheThreeRealms, I say thank you for all of your gracious time.

_With all God's speed,_

Thomas Knapp

"Chemiclord"


End file.
